Alpha and Omega
Revelation 1:8 ESV says, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”
It is good to remember that we serve an everlasting God. Can you imagine standing in the throne room of heaven and hearing God speak these words? Just imagining such a scene can cause me to tremble at the power of the Lord. It is hard for me to sufficiently capture the glory and majesty of every word that God speaks. Proverbs 30:5 ESV teaches us, “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” Again, Psalm 18:30 ESV says, “This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.”
When you or I speak, our words could be true, false, or irrelevant. Not so with God. Everything that he says issues forth from his will and reflects his nature. Every word he speaks stands forever. It is no idle announcement when he declares that he is the Alpha and Omega.
It is good to feel small in the majesty of our God. All competitions end at the door of the holy of holies. Consider how many disasters have resulted from competition and offense—even within the church. Political systems are built on in-fighting and boasting. Still, kingdom-minded people who live in the presence of God become soberingly aware that God’s greatness far surpasses anything we can attain. Merely seeking God’s glory among brothers and sisters in Christ can radically restore order and truth to the body of Christ.
God is all-encompassing. He is the Almighty, but he is not just at the top of the food chain. Ephesians 4:6 ESV describes God as “one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” God’s place in the cosmos is not a distant ruler. He is infused into the story of creation—from beginning to end—and working actively through his Church.
I write all of this today so that we can catch a glimpse of the greatness of God. I have seen how seeing God rightly restores order and truth into my life. It is all too easy to be consumed with self-improvement in the Christian life. There is nothing wrong with working to become a better person. However, self-obsession looks like a series of increasingly small circles we live in as we try to discover freedom outside of God’s glory. Seeing God rightly brings revelation of who he is and, subsequently, who we are in him.
He is the Almighty God. Would you meditate on his glory? Worship him today as the God of the universe.
