Oh, Lord, You live forever;
So long ago You made this world with Your hands.
And when the heavens and the earth have all passed away,
Even then You’ll remain.
Lord, You’ll remain.
And when the world’s been used up,
And You’ve discarded it like worn-out clothes,
You will still be the same,
For Your life never ends,
And we’ll remain secure in You.
Lord, we’ll remain secure.
Lord, we will remain secure in You.
About This Song:
If you’ve been following this blog or looking back at previous posts, you realize that I have a great fondness for the Psalms. Because many of the Psalms–perhaps most of them–were meant to be sung, my love of adapting them for my own songs shouldn’t be surprising.
Today’s song is no exception. It’s based on Psalm 102:24b and following. I’ve included a little extra below to give more context.
Psalm 102 (New International Version)
A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the Lord.
23 In the course of my life he broke my strength;
he cut short my days.
24 So I said:
“Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days;
your years go on through all generations.
25 In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them
and they will be discarded.
27 But you remain the same,
and your years will never end.
28 The children of your servants will live in your presence;
their descendants will be established before you.”
I don’t know about you, but I find “eternal” to be one of those concepts that’s beyond my ability to comprehend. “Infinite” is another. Then again, everything about God is more than I can fully understand. His love is so much greater than my best feeble attempts to love. Also beyond my comprehension are His mercy and His forgiveness.
So how can I possibly understand the fact that God has always been and will always be?
When I was a small child–and occasionally as I grew older–I asked myself, “If God created everything–if nothing existed before He did–where did He come from? Who created Him?” As childish as that question might sound, it was a source of great assurance. How could I worship or place my trust in someone who has been created?
I’m different, though. I’m a created being, and so are you. We all face the eventual end of our earthly lives.
I don’t know about you, but I feel so much better about that because “the children of your servants will live in your presence.” We will live forever because God lives forever.
Can I explain that? Definitely not. But I believe it and try to live accordingly–in a way that pleases God.
Those of us who’ve placed our faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God (that’s something else I can’t fully understand) don’t have to wonder where they’ll spend eternity. Whether I know you personally doesn’t matter. I want you to be there in heaven with me when the time comes.
Free lead sheets (lyrics, tune, and chords) are available for many of my songs. Click on the Lead Sheets tab at the top of this page to see whether one is available for this song. Videos for many of my songs, some recorded at home and some at our church’s nursing home ministry, can be accessed at my website, RogerBruner.com, under the Listen tab.
Look for me again next Wednesday. Better still, subscribe to receive these weekly posts by email.
Best regards,
Roger
Links you might be interested in:
As I Come Singing. . . 