YESTERDAY- “All my troubles seemed so far away, now it looks as though they're here to stay…” so goes the words of an old “Beatles” song.  It seems that we look through tinted lens when we consider the past. It is either the “golden age” we long for, and wonder where it went so quickly; or we feel like we've escaped and are grateful we don't have to go back to the “prison” and pain of yesterday.

Time does pass quickly if we're busy and preoccupied with the concerns of the day.  We can hardly believe the week, the month or the year has passed so hastily.  We wonder where the time went. “Who knows where the time goes…?” goes another old song.  The future arrives more quickly than the past is left behind.

Our very concept of time makes us prone to “look over our shoulder” at the past.  It's all behind you now.  But there is another, more Biblical way of viewing time.  For the Old Testament writers, you don't face the future, you face the past.  The word for tomorrow is literally “over the shoulder.”  To see the future you have to look behind you because your face is set on the past.

One reason the Biblical writers constantly referred to the historical, mighty acts of God as they called people to a renewed vitality of faith is that as they faced God's faithfulness in the past, they could be reassured God would be faithful in the future.  It is like a baby being carried by its mother.  The baby can look up into the face of the mother and be confident that she could see where they both are going.  So the baby doesn't need to worry even if it looks over its shoulder to see what is coming.

 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” [Hebrews 13:8, NIV] is not a statement of static, monotonous, repetitious religion.  Rather it is a dynamic statement of faith reminding Christians that they can be confident in Jesus because He has been and will be trustworthy.  Therefore don't get carried away with strange teachings, new rules or different avenues for salvation.

Perhaps if we took a more Old Testament view of time we might feel less anxious about the present.  We could relax in the knowledge that we haven't been left like orphans in the storm to make our way through life alone.  We might be able to sense the Holy Spirit's direction in our lives even when the way ahead is unclear.  And we might be able to encourage other people who would either like to return to the past or escape it.

Jesus is the “still-point in a turning universe.”  He is the same faithful God no matter which point of time we are considering, past present or future.  Jesus was there when we were born, He walks with us every day, and He will be there when we die.  Our total lives are in His hands. 

I am reassured when the tough times come that I don't have to try and run away or deny the reality of the situation.  I can trust that God will make all things right if I surrender to His will.  In truth, I can as a believer transcend time because God is the master of time.  I have God's faithful acts in the past and His promises for the future to carry me through today.  And that makes all my yesterdays only prologue to what God has in store for me in the future!

• As you think about the past, is it a “golden age” or painful prison?
• How might an Old Testament approach to facing time change your approach to life today?
• In what ways has God been faithful to you in the past?
• How do you feel like you need Jesus to help you be faithful in the days to come?