I was writing notes during a meeting at work Monday and noticed that something seemed odd when I jotted down the numbers – 41414. It didn’t take long for it to occur to me that the sequence read the same backward as it does forward. That means it’s a palindrome – a word, number, sequence or phrase that can be read forward or backward with the same result. Think of the word “tot” or “madam” – either way you read them, they are the same. Well, this whole week, from 4/11/14 through 4/19/14 represents a whole sequence of dates that are read the same either way. Interesting, isn’t it?
Usually, I don’t consider such things unless they jump out at me. Although I know that there are some people who really enjoy the mind games and mathematical challenges of things like this, I am not one of them. But I do find it fascinating when everything lines up and we have a run of days that fits this kind of profile.
Of course, you know that I am going to tie this to God in some way. No, I’m not going to get into numerology and try to sell you some bill of goods about all the numbers that you see in the Bible. In fact, I don’t believe that numbers in the Bible have any unusual significance although there are scholars who will try to tell you that there are special sequences that have some “hidden” meaning.
But what I am going to share with you is that God is always the same – forwards, backwards, upside down and every other way. He is completely the same – every way – always. I know that some folks believe that God is different depending on the day or the circumstance. That He is dependable sometimes – but not always. And I can assure you that this is not the case – God is reliable – always.
The verse for this evening is from John 8:26, “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.” Yes, God is the same, and reliable, all the time for all eternity. My encouragement this evening is that you can depend on the Father – you won’t be disappointed. My prayer is that you will truly understand what it is like to be reliable and that you will take a page from God and order your life in such a way so that others may count on you – today, tomorrow, every day and that you will be constant and steadfast in your love of the Father. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…