Strength for the Journey

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By Deborah Hollifield,
PPL Executive Director

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The Jews have given the world many gifts, the most important of which is our savior, Jesus. But another gift that we sometimes overlook is the gift of linear time. The ancient Greeks believed that time was a circle and that events on earth repeated themselves endlessly. The journey of life was futile; it cycled till one’s end, and when life was over, one moved off the world stage and another moved onto it, to repeat the cycle again. 

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The Jews, however, viewed time differently, as a linear sequence with the beginning and end.  Events don’t just happen in a vacuum but are moving in a definite direction. The Jews observed the cycle of repeated events like wars, natural, disasters, and plagues, but considered such cycles evil (Galatians 1:4). They taught that amid the recurring trials and crises of life, God was nevertheless at work within time, moving events forward and redeeming our bad choices and the consequences of evil, in a relentless progression toward the establishment of the kingdom of the family of God on earth. 

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Even though the events of the day have taken on a downward aspect, believers should look up and not despair, because our confidence is in God’s goodness and his sovereignty over time. As we journey toward its end, we can rest assured that our prayers will be answered, justice will prevail, God’s people will be vindicated, and the cosmos will be set back right.