The Eternal King

As I sat in 1 Timothy this morning preparing to post my verse of the day on Facebook, I had to pause as I soaked in chapter 1, verse 17.

“All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen One who never dies; He alone is God. Amen.”

I found myself thinking, Wow… the Eternal King!

I tried to wrap my mind around that, and I found myself wishing He could be seen. But then I realized that if He were, faith in Him wouldn’t be faith at all, would it?

That made me think of what Paul wrote:

“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)

And what John wrote:

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2)

Then I considered that He never dies. I sat in awe of that truth. He was, and is, and is to come.

One day I will see Him face to face. The things I don’t yet understand won’t remain mysteries forever. Faith isn’t pretending I don’t long to see Him. Rather, it’s trusting the One I can't yet see because He's made Himself known through His Son, His Word, and His Spirit. My longing itself points toward His promise.

Then I found myself reassured by Jesus’ words:

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28)

As I absorbed that truth, I felt small. Yet in that smallness, I also felt strangely loved. The God who spans the galaxies also numbers the hairs on my head. The eternal King who never dies knows my name.

I found myself wondering if I’m the apple of His eye. I know I desire to be. Simply because He is God.

Even if He had never given me another gift, who He is would be reason enough for endless worship. Yet He has done infinitely more. He pursued me. He bore my sin. He adopted me into His family. He rescued me from the path to hell and brought me into His kingdom.

And He promises that one day faith will give way to sight. One day the “unseen One” will no longer be unseen. The eternal King will stand before our eyes.

Every question that still lingers will be swallowed up in worship. There will be no more wondering, no more mysteries clouded by my limitations, only the overwhelming joy of seeing the One I've spent these years loving by faith.

Perhaps that’s why Scripture ends with such a simple prayer,

“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20)