Read Psalm 102:23-28. 23He has broken my strength in midcourse; he has shortened my days. 24“O my God,” I say, “take me not away in the midst of my days—you whose years endure throughout all generations!” 25Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 26They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, 27but you are the same, and your years have no end. 28The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you.
When all your strength is gone; when your days have been shortened; what is your plea? Upon what does your hope stand? In what truth does your heart find rest?
What every Christian must continue to wrestle with daily is the degree to which they find meaning, hope, rest, purpose (all the biggest answers to all the biggest questions) in the temporal. The earthly.
This stanza of Psalm 102 leaves any hope or meaning that remains founded in time and space behind. The heavens and earth (a figure of speech meaning everything) will perish. Worn out like an old garment. Nothing in the entire universe will survive apart from its connection to God. Which is why none of your functional saviors are actually saving you, instead they are slowly destroying you from the inside out.
Hebrews 1 will quote these verses making Jesus the subject of Psalm 102. Jesus laid the foundation of the earth. The heavens are the work of Jesus’ hands. Jesus will roll them up like a garment. Jesus remains when all else fades away. His years are eternal. He remains the same, unchanging for eternity.
At this point you might want to re-think your entire temporal life. To what degree is it rooted in your eternal life? Yes, you are in Christ, established before God. But to what degree is your reality in Christ your day to day security? To what degree are you facing an earthly today with the hope of a divine tomorrow?
To live is Christ is to live knowing that though everything in this universe is temporary and fading fast, there is a world yet to come that will absorb this one in the divine embrace of love.
You: What temporal things are giving your life its meaning?
You in Christ: How does union with Christ offer an eternal meaning to our lives?
Christ in you: What idols is Jesus asking you to confront today and replace with his eternal love and life?
Pray: Father, I want my hope to be in the eternal not the temporal. Keep reminding me of this through each moment of each day. Amen.
To Live is Christ 