Read: Psalm 19
Eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off. (Prov. 24:13-14)
The creed of the stoic is expressed in the saying “This too shall pass.” It’s meant to be both a comfort and a warning. Are you suffering, down in the dumps, filled with pain? Hang on! It will pass. Nothing lasts forever. Are you riding high, on a roll, on top of the world? Watch out! It will pass. The wheel will turn, your downfall will come. Nothing lasts forever.
In a sense the Bible agrees with this point of view. All physical things do pass away. Ecclesiastes says that everything under the sun is vanity, a striving after the wind. Hebrews asserts that “here we have no lasting city” (13:14). It’s not just our cities; all our achievements, our possessions, our youth, our beauty, our strength—none of it can last, because nothing earthly lasts forever.
But that isn’t the ultimate truth. Some things do last forever. God’s wisdom is one; finding it gives you a future and a hope. God’s Word is another. It’s sweeter than honey, more precious than gold. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matt. 24:35). Above all, Jesus himself is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8). That’s why “we seek the city that is to come” (Heb. 13:14), our forever home with himself that Jesus has promised us. —David Bast
As you pray, give thanks for all that lasts forever.
About the Author
Rev. Dave Bast retired as the President and Broadcast Minister of Words of Hope in January 2017, after 23 years with the ministry. Prior to his ministry and work at Words of Hope, Dave served as a pastor for 18 years in congregations in the Reformed Church in America. He is the author of several devotional books. A graduate of Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, he has also studied at both the Fuller and Calvin seminaries. Dave and his wife, Betty Jo, have four children and four grandchildren. Dave enjoys reading, growing tomatoes, and avidly follows the Detroit Tigers.
