God was.
Alpha, the beginning.
Author of creation and salvation.
He has always been.
Not one thing has come into being without His divine intent.
Nothing precedes Him.
Before anything existed, God was.
Therefore, I can praise Him for the past.
All of history held in His keeping.
He stood guard when light parted from the darkness.
It was His word that separated the seas from dry land.
At His utterance, what was once stillness and void burst to life, teeming with vegetation and birds and sea creatures and land animals. All sprung up at the sound of His voice calling them forth. A lush paradise was born amid galaxies hung in place, stars scattered just so.
Then Alpha reached down to play in the dirt, forming creatures made in His very own image. Fashioning man and woman required a hands-on approach. After all, this was the crowning glory of His creation — a vessel like no other. One born through personal contact and filled with Spirit breath. And loved infinitely more than all else.
Life breathed life into being.
Down through the centuries, generation after generation, God continued to craft mankind. No longer formed employing dust and dirt, but constructed just as carefully. In a dark womb, chromosomes knit by divine design. Each atom strung together in sacred presence, placed as a secret to grow and form in awe and wonder.
God was there. At the very beginning of me. Before my parents were aware of my existence, God planned every one of my days. He determined my first breath before I even drew it. He saw me in the silence of my mother’s womb and delighted again over His creation.
Rejoicing over my life, God was there at the making of me.
God is.
Immanuel.
God with us.
God of the present.
Promised Holiness in the here and now.
Never to leave me.
Never to forsake me.
God of today, in this very moment.
God in Christ, and Christ in me.
Consuming and close, Spirit breath inhaling and exhaling.
Filling me.
There is nothing that can separate me from His love.
It is mine even as I write these words.
Perfect presence, available always.
Promise fulfilled, with me as faithfully today as He was yesterday.
Constant as when I drew my first breath under His watchful gaze.
Immanuel is with me still.
This day holds nothing that escapes His notice.
No surprises.
No unexpected threats to shake Him in the least.
Today, my Protector stands fast.
Sure and uninterrupted in His care over me.
Vigilant and watchful.
Strong on my behalf.
Ready and inviting.
He offers Himself to me.
Calls me to rejoice in His salvation.
To delight in His love again and again.
To notice and to thank Him for His faithfulness that is mine always.
Loyal Companion, I look to You with awe.
And thank You for Who You are.
My Immanuel.
My Father.
My Lord and my Friend.
My Savior and Redeemer.
God of this moment.
Ruler of the here and now.
God is to come.
Omega.
The end.
Eternally existing.
God of the future.
Stretches into forever, breaking all confines.
God remains.
Never-ending.
All-consuming in all things.
There is no transitioning of His timelessness.
No breaking of His covenant to always be.
When I come to the end of my earthly life, He will be there to step me into the halls of eternity, where He reigns forever and ever.
His throne is eternal, as is His rule and sovereignty.
Nothing can ever outdo Him.
All principalities and powers bow in awe before His glorious majesty.
His complete and total dominion is everlasting.
He continues forever, extending His love and faithfulness beyond all bounds of time and space.
He rules infinity.
Perfectly.
Completely.
Without flaw or error.
Pure and total justice is His throne.
Righteousness is His crown.
All praise, and glory, and honor are due Him.
And will forever surround Him.
His kingdom knows no end.
Nor does He.
He is my God.
Immanuel.
With Us.
The God of yesterday.
Today.
And forever.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord, who is and was and is to come — the Almighty.
– Revelation 1:8
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FOR REFLECTION
As I pondered a God who reigns uninterrupted through the timelessness in which He dwells, this declaration just poured forth. I could not help but praise Him for His faithful presence through it all. Long before I was, God existed. And long after I leave this earth, He will remain sure and steady as always.
Amid this wonder is the invitation to join Him in eternity. To be kept forever by the goodness that is His alone. To be saved and delivered into a place of pure joy and never-ending love.
But we don’t have to wait until the other side of heaven to experience this wonder. The gift of Father’s presence is ours for the asking. Indeed, it is here no matter if we heed it or not. But I pray we do.
I really pray we do.
Life can be amazing, but life can also be overwhelming. While I know the truth of God’s continued presence, it’s easy to forget when I succumb to the pressures and routine of life. Instead of noticing and welcoming Him into my moments, I rush about as if all depends upon me. Perhaps you do, too.
Our God invites us to experience His perpetual withness at all times. From beginning to end, He exists to permeate every moment of our lives. How we respond to Him determines how we live our days and prepares us for our future once this life has passed.
May the above words encourage you to remember God has been, is, and will always be for you, beloved. This day, in this very moment, He is here. May you take note and give praise for His uninterrupted reign from beginning to end. And every in-between you are living.