Before and After

“All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:16)

This phrase came to me recently and had me thinking about things “before and after”. I hear my son remind my two-year-old granddaughter, “Say please.” Then what comes after please…thank you. “Please” comes first then, after it is given, should come, “thank you”. However, when we’re talking to God, by faith, we should say, “Please God.”, then say, “Thank You.” BEFORE we receive what we asked for trusting God to do what’s right in His timing.

Here are some other things that came to my mind about “before and after”. How about a house site before and how it looks after the house is built. When a player signs up for the team then after a big win. Lots of work was done by that player from before until after. The ultrasound image of an unborn baby then the images of the newborn, the child, the teen and the adult. Lots of change! How about a person before, during then after an addiction? Big change! Then an old car that has been restored? There are many things that are different from the before time to the after time.

Let’s look at some Spiritual things. We can’t even imagine what things looked like before God said, “Let there be.” Was there anything to see before? But we can now see what God has done, and is still doing, after His creation of all things. Wow! Then, finally, what were we like before we were saved compared to what we are like now after that decision? “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Before we were saved should look very different than how we look, act, and speak now after we have the Holy Spirit in our hearts. If this has made you think about yourself, “before and after”, the prayer team is up front to pray with you. All things can become new!