GOD IS... ETERNAL
God has no beginning and no end; he exists outside of time.
Psalms: 90, 119, 102, 146
PSALM 90
- Read through the entire Psalm.
- Now, read through it again and do the following:
- Circle descriptions of who God is or phrases that show how God is eternal.
- Underline what the Psalmist asks God for in response to who God is.
- If there are any words you don’t know or understand, write them to the side and take a moment to define.
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
1 Lord, through all the generations
you have been our home!
2 Before the mountains were born,
before you gave birth to the earth and the world,
from beginning to end, you are God.
3 You turn people back to dust, saying,
“Return to dust, you mortals!”
4 For you, a thousand years are as a passing day,
as brief as a few night hours.
5 You sweep people away like dreams that disappear.
They are like grass that springs up in the morning.
6 In the morning it blooms and flourishes,
but by evening it is dry and withered.
7 We wither beneath your anger;
we are overwhelmed by your fury.
8 You spread out our sins before you—
our secret sins—and you see them all.
9 We live our lives beneath your wrath,
ending our years with a groan.
10 Seventy years are given to us!
Some even live to eighty.
But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble;
soon they disappear, and we fly away.
11 Who can comprehend the power of your anger?
Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve.
12 Teach us to realize the brevity of life,
so that we may grow in wisdom.
13 O Lord, come back to us!
How long will you delay?
Take pity on your servants!
14 Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love,
so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.
15 Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery!
Replace the evil years with good.
16 Let us, your servants, see you work again;
let our children see your glory.
17 And may the Lord our God show us his approval
and make our efforts successful.
Yes, make our efforts successful!
PSALM 119:89–96
Lamedh
89 Your eternal word, O Lord,
stands firm in heaven.
90 Your faithfulness extends to every generation,
as enduring as the earth you created.
91 Your regulations remain true to this day,
for everything serves your plans.
92 If your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy,
I would have died in my misery.
93 I will never forget your commandments,
for by them you give me life.
94 I am yours; rescue me!
For I have worked hard at obeying your commandments.
95 Though the wicked hide along the way to kill me,
I will quietly keep my mind on your laws.
96 Even perfection has its limits,
but your commands have no limit.
Questions
- Rewrite Psalm 119:89–96 in your own words. What is the author saying?
- Who does this passage say that God is?
- What does God being eternal mean for us as believers?
PSALM 102
A prayer of one overwhelmed with trouble, pouring out problems before the Lord.
1 Lord, hear my prayer!
Listen to my plea!
2 Don’t turn away from me
in my time of distress.
Bend down to listen,
and answer me quickly when I call to you.
3 For my days disappear like smoke,
and my bones burn like red-hot coals.
4 My heart is sick, withered like grass,
and I have lost my appetite.
5 Because of my groaning,
I am reduced to skin and bones.
6 I am like an owl in the desert,
like a little owl in a far-off wilderness.
7 I lie awake,
lonely as a solitary bird on the roof.
8 My enemies taunt me day after day.
They mock and curse me.
9 I eat ashes for food.
My tears run down into my drink
10 because of your anger and wrath.
For you have picked me up and thrown me out.
11 My life passes as swiftly as the evening shadows.
I am withering away like grass.
12 But you, O Lord, will sit on your throne forever.
Your fame will endure to every generation.
13 You will arise and have mercy on Jerusalem[a]—
and now is the time to pity her,
now is the time you promised to help.
14 For your people love every stone in her walls
and cherish even the dust in her streets.
15 Then the nations will tremble before the Lord.
The kings of the earth will tremble before his glory.
16 For the Lord will rebuild Jerusalem.
He will appear in his glory.
17 He will listen to the prayers of the destitute.
He will not reject their pleas.
18 Let this be recorded for future generations,
so that a people not yet born will praise the Lord.
19 Tell them the Lord looked down
from his heavenly sanctuary.
He looked down to earth from heaven
20 to hear the groans of the prisoners,
to release those condemned to die.
21 And so the Lord’s fame will be celebrated in Zion,
his praises in Jerusalem,
22 when multitudes gather together
and kingdoms come to worship the Lord.
23 He broke my strength in midlife,
cutting short my days.
24 But I cried to him, “O my God, who lives forever,
don’t take my life while I am so young!
25 Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth
and made the heavens with your hands.
26 They will perish, but you remain forever;
they will wear out like old clothing.
You will change them like a garment
and discard them.
27 But you are always the same;
you will live forever.
28 The children of your people
will live in security.
Their children’s children
will thrive in your presence.”
GUIDED PRAYER
Response to Psalm 102
Heavenly Father,
I am grateful I can come to you for help and you hear my cries (vs 1–2). You are eternal, Father. You have no beginning or end, and nothing can limit your great power over all creation.
My life is like a vapor, here one day but soon gone. I recognize my physical health is a gift from you but has limits—my body will fail me (vs 3–7). Father, I lift up __________________________________________________;
these prayers are specifically for health for myself and for those I know and love.
God, I recognize the enemy constantly seeks to tempt me into sin. Today, I am wrestling with ___________________________________________.
Some days it feels as if your wrath burns against me and you are distant (vs 8-11). I repent specifically for __________________________________.
Remind me today that you have already paid for my sins and that forgiveness and love are found in you.
Father, you are everlasting! You will endure forever, and every generation will know of your faithfulness (vs 12). Give me opportunities this week to tell others about your faithfulness in my life. Right now, I pray specifically for my conversations with __________________________________________; be with me and help our words honor you.
Today, I recognize your favor with Jerusalem as the same favor you extend to me (vs 13–22). Although you humble me through my own weakness, let me be reminded where my strength comes from (vs 24). I need strength specifically for _____________________________________________. God, you are always the same and will remain forever. Help me to thrive in your presence this week. (vs 27–28).
Amen
PSALM 146
1 Praise the Lord!
Let all that I am praise the Lord.
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live.
I will sing praises to my God with my dying breath.
3 Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;
there is no help for you there.
4 When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
and all their plans die with them.
5 But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
6 He made heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
He keeps every promise forever.
7 He gives justice to the oppressed
and food to the hungry.
The Lord frees the prisoners.
8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.
The Lord loves the godly.
9 The Lord protects the foreigners among us.
He cares for the orphans and widows,
but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.
10 The Lord will reign forever.
He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations.
Praise the Lord!
Reflect
- Write in your own words what it means that God is eternal.
- How should we respond to a God who is eternal?
- As believers, what hope does God being eternal give us?
For Further Study
- Deuteronomy 32:40
- Isaiah 57:15
- Psalm 136
Songs
- Yahweh
- You Reign (Psalm 146)