Monday Morning Devotion-March 4, 2019
As Time Goes By
*Reprinted from MMD, March 12, 2012
For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past and like a watch in the night. Psalm 90:4
This day and age we're living in
Gives cause for apprehension
With speed and new invention
And things like fourth dimension
The timeless lyrics to a song not bound by time: As Time Goes By. I'm sure you've heard it even if you haven't seen the classic movie" Casablanca" that it first appeared in. It was 1942, yes 77 years ago that Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and a host of other stars of the silver screen appeared in that movie.
Yes, we get a trifle weary
With Mr. Einstein's theory
So, we must get down to earth at times
Relax relieve the tension
You can't really think about that song without the passage of time playing a role in your thought processes. We really are time bound. Time is very important in just about every aspect of our lives. And as important as time is to us, none of us really know how much time we have where we are.
And no matter what the progress
Or what may yet be proved.
The simple facts of life are such
They cannot be removed.
Time is important in our planning. You know the old saying: "Fail to plan and you plan to fail." Well, how can you plan without considering the aspect of time. It would be pretty hard if not downright impossible.
As we grow older we probably even think more about time than we ever did. "If I had just had enough time I could have done this or that."
"I would like to do that, but it just takes too much time."
"Gosh, where did the time go, we're late."
Well actually time passed in exactly the same increments and at the same rate of speed that it always did. You just failed to plan or maybe you did plan but did not accurately assess the amount of time it would take to get the task accomplished.
You must remember this
A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh.
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by
We read in Psalm 90 that God is certainly not time bound. In our verse for the day (v4) we read the Psalmist's prayer in which he says " For you, a thousand years are as yesterday! They are like a few hours!"
And who was this Psalmist? You'll probably answer, off the top of your head, David. I would have but this Psalm is listed in my Bible as "A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
Moses? Really? I didn't even know that Moses had anything included in the Psalms. He lived in 1400 BC or sometime around then, so that would make this 90th Psalm the oldest of all the Psalms. Talk about being time bound? Wow that makes the thoughts written down in this Psalm/Prayer, uh...ancient. They have certainly stood the test of..well, the test of time.
You must remember this
A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh.
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by.
So, the idea that God is not bound by time is practically timeless. Here's what NLT says: "God is not limited by time. It's easy to get discouraged when years pass and the world doesn't get better. We sometimes wonder if God is able to see the future. Because He is eternal, we can depend on Him."
And when two lovers woo
They still say, "I love you."
On that you can rely
No matter what the future brings
As time goes by.
As I have pointed out in recent devotions I have been trying to successfully engage in Centering Prayer. This is a different form of prayer from others. It does not take the place of intercessory prayer, or those quick prayers you offer up, or prayers for healing or wisdom or any of your worldly needs.
Centering Prayer seems to first have been discovered in the 6th century and really not written down until the 14th century. But, in Centering Prayer you are asked to suspend time. How's that for an easy task?
Moonlight and love songs
Never out of date
Hearts full of passion
Jealousy and hate.
Woman needs man
And man must have his mate.
That no one can deny.
What you do in Centering Prayer is seek the deepest union with God possible. To do that you need to move past all thoughts that enter your mind. You don't reject them. Just accept them and by means of a prayer word that you return to, you move past them and back into surrendering to God. You attempt to join God on a deeper spiritual level one that is always available but not often availed of by us.
It is still the same old story
The fight for love and glory.
A case of do or die.
The world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by.
And in those few moments that you are successful in joining in this deep spiritual union with God time will be totally irrelevant. You will be welcomed into the timeless presence of the Heavenly Father.
Oh yes, the world will always welcome lovers
As time goes by.
Even if you never engage in or attempt Centering Prayer there is a special lesson from it and from our song "As Time Goes By." We can all be encouraged by the fact that God is not bound by time but His love for us is endless as time goes by.
Monday Prayer: Thank you Heavenly Father for creating time and for not letting it affect your love for us. It's a great example how we should love each other. Amen!
***author's note: Have a great week. Yes, it is seven days, but the amount of time is only significant to us. God will love us every day.
Thanks to www.reelclassics.com for the "As Time Goes By Lyrics" which, by the way, were copyrighted in 1931.