Page 146 – The Bottle House

“The Apostle Peter reminds us in his second book, chapter three, verse eight, that ‘with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.’ God is not time-bound. This is good news, whether we’re grieving the loss of a loved one or if we’re struggling with the difficulties of life. What seems like forever to us is just a blink in time compared to eternity.

“I must admit, however, that when I was a young Christian, this kind of talk was—in my mind—hurtful.” Chaplain Miller paused. “It felt as if these words washed over my pain rather than acknowledged it.”

Debbie nodded her head in agreement.

“If you only read this one verse in Second Peter, you’ll miss a great comfort that is tied in with the other verses there.” The chaplain paused and surveyed the room.

“The whole third chapter is explaining what will happen in the ‘end times,’ or the time when God finally says, ‘Now’s the time for me to right all the wrongs on this earth.’ In the midst of these things, God reminds us he has a different timeline than we do, but he also tells us in verse nine he is not slow in keeping his promise. He will always keep his promises. This is something that we, in our distress, can count on.”