I AM the Alpha and the Omega

Revelation 1:1-8     2 September 2013      Kathy Carlson

“I am the Alpha and the Omega”, says the Lord God, “who is and was and who is to come, the Almighty.”  (Rev 1:8)

I have found myself praying this verse many times over the years.  It’s a rich comfort to me to remember how set apart Jesus is from any other created being. He alone is God.  All time is in His hands and under His control.  He is not constrained to the finite time that marks our experience of life on earth.

I think of my past- the years I struggled to believe that I could be forgiven for every single mistake I ever made.  I think of the weight of shame and the burden of guilt I carried before I understood that Jesus had the power to enter into my past and lift that burden by His death on a cross.  He is the God who was.  He alone can enter into our used-to-be and redeem our past for the glory of His name.

As I look at my present life- the business and preoccupation with life’s worries, I find myself challenged by the question- is Jesus enough for my present? Do the cares and worries of everyday living dull my dependence on the God of today?  Jesus is the God who is.  Do I turn to Him in every circumstance? Depend on Him for every need?  Do I spend time with Him daily in prayer and hourly trusting His Word?  

As I look ahead, do I look towards the future with hope and expectancy?  Is Jesus enough to bring a future worth living, a future full of purpose?  He is the One who is to come.  I am certain of my future- I will spend an eternity with Christ.  I long to live out my faith in Christ to the fullest, recognizing that He could come in the blink of an eye.

Jesus testifies about Himself- He is the beginning and the end- A to Z and gloriously everything we could ever need in between.  He is my past, present and future hope, the One who is and was and is to come.  My greater-than-time Savior, set apart and worthy of all praise.