By Mary
Recently the phrase "and this too shall pass" came up in conversation in our house. It's in the Bible right? At least we'd all heard it mentioned in sermons, or at least had it thrown out in Christian circles. Of course none of us had any idea where it might actually be--Paul's letters maybe? Jesus speaking?--but it seemed like it should be in there somewhere.
Obviously we had no luck finding the actual quotation in the Bible.
Reading through the Bible however, that same encouragement and the hope of that promise-- though not phrased exactly the same--is found throughout the Old Testament and the New.
Our God is mighty and powerful and He has an eternity more wonderful than any imaginations in store for His people.
And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them lights. And they shall reign forever and ever.
He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly."
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
(for trivia's sake, other Bible-like phrases not directly quoted in the Bible include "spare the rod, spoil the child", "the eye is the window to the soul", "the lion shall lie down with the lamb", "pride comes before the fall" and perhaps most controversially "do unto others as you would have others do unto you.")
"Be in the world, not of the world."
ReplyDeleteAlso not in there. I looked for "This too shall pass" once, also. It's like sage advice from people who have seen things pass. And it's like stubborn faith, in what is not seen, that like you said, even this world will pass.
Although sometimes I am really hoping for the better days of this life. It is equally true to say on the happiest day of your life, "This too shall pass." That's not so encouraging, is it?
To God be all glory,
Lisa
Mary, thank you for this reminder of the temporary nature of this present age and the wonderful future that we have with Christ. Lisa, I do think it is encouraging to think that even our very happiest days on earth can not compare to what awaits us in heaven.
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty Lord of the Rings-ish to me, I have to say.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's true...it's something almost bittersweet. Hopeful, but also realistic and down to earth. Ultimately it reminds me of the Lord's faithfulness. All else may change, will change, but He is always the same, always holy, always good.
Another one is, "God helps those who help themselves." I hear this saying often but didn't realize people actually thought it was in the Bible!
ReplyDelete