It Came To Pass

An interesting phrase that occurs in 179 verses in the Bible is "it came to pass." A dramatic instance in which the phrase occurs is in Genesis 8:13: "And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, that the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and indeed the surface of the ground was dry." This marked the end of a disastrous flood which had covered the earth for more than a year tragically bringing an end to all living creatures including mankind, except Noah, his wife, his sons and their wives, and selected pairs of living creatures, who were saved in an ark that floated on the flood waters. The flood was unleashed by God to put an end to a culture of evil and sin which increasingly pervaded humanity for centuries on the earth.

And so, at last, this monumental disaster came to pass and with it an era of gross ungodliness among mankind upon the earth. A new era of opportunity for godly change stood before Noah and his family as they disembarked from the ark which had borne them over that fateful flood of mass destruction.

In the world we live in, things come and go. And so, very few things remain permanent. Experiences and events come to pass. History is an account of events which came to pass.

For instance, in the US election in November last year, a presidential campaign for change resulted in the first black US president, Barack Obama, coming into office in the new year, 2009. That world acclaimed political event demonstrated the possibility of socially fundamental change. A long social history of institutionalized black discrimination in the USA came to pass, at least in our awareness of political possibilities.

The thought that things change - they come to pass - gives excitement and hope. It's like sometimes the proverbial light at the end of a tunnel. It's a comforting hope for those who are in the midst of the gloom of sorrow, the pain of affliction, the torment of injustice, or the calamity of misfortune. It comes to pass. It is interesting that the moment at which things come to pass is also the moment at which things come to begin.

David wrote: "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5). For those of us who toil burning the late night lamp as students, grinding our nails to give the best in our jobs and careers, faithfully nurturing and tutoring our children, serving humanity and God in selfless vocations and missions, and in myriad of other wearisome callings in this life, David also writes in Psalms 126:5-6: "Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." Yes, indeed, times of tearful sowing give way to times of joyful reaping.

Another year has passed away. A new year is here. The events and experiences of last year are behind us. They came to pass. It's a relief. Let us embrace this timely opportunity of change and newness. However painful, shameful, and stressful it was last year, the New Year rings in with the declaration on the old year - it came to pass.

And so, with the dawning of the New Year, let us let the past pass away and let us press forward into the present New Year. Too often our experience or enjoyment of the new is impaired by our still preoccupation with the old. We must let go of the old and move on into the new.

According to Paul in Philippians 3:13-14: "One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

May the blessing and grace of God abound in you throughout the New Year!