Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Paul's writing this letter to his dear friend Timothy, and in this first chapter, Paul is reflecting on what God has done in his life, how God had saved him. Remember, Paul went from being a murderer to a missionary, from a persecutor to a pastor. God radically transformed his life. That's what he's recounting for his friend Timothy in the first chapter of this letter.
Pausing to Break Into Praise
Then what happens here in verse 17 is that in the middle of that, in the middle of remembering what God had done, Paul just abruptly pauses and he breaks out into praise. There's something very important for us to consider there. That is that right theology and right thinking is not just for the purpose of analysis. It's not just for the purpose of academic. It's not making our minds bigger and gaining more knowledge and more information. No, an understanding of who God is and what He's done has practical application in our life.
Paul can't articulate what God has done without stopping and having it turn into praise and worship. Because right thinking, which is what he's doing here, right thinking does lead to right living.
The Fullness of This Verse
Notice how full this verse is when it describes God. It keeps lifting up our eyes, if you will, higher and higher. He says, "The Eternal King, the unseen One, the One who never dies, the only God." God is not one king, one God, one ruler among many. No, He is the only God who is eternal. Who is the unseen one? He is the only God. He's not fragile. He's not threatened. He's not beatable. He's not competing with anyone for His authority. God alone is God.
That idea is what prompts Paul here to praise and worship God. Paul was a man who knew how much he did not deserve mercy from God, and yet he had received God's mercy. It's what makes the song he sings so powerful. It was rooted in his understanding of what God had done for him, for him personally. He wasn't just worshiping God from a distance. He wasn't just hearing someone talk about theology. He knew this to be true, and he had experienced its application and its implication in his life.
God Is Personally Majestic
God is not theoretically majestic to Paul. He is truly and personally majestic to Paul. You could read about Paul's life and see all that that helped to bring him through. When life feels chaotic, as it often does, we instinctively start to look for something to steady ourselves. Maybe that's a person. Maybe that's a number in a bank account. Maybe it's a good report. What does Paul do over and over again here to steady himself?
First Timothy chapter 1, verse 17 reminds us that ultimate stability is not found in our circumstances. No, it is found in the eternal God, the unseen one who never dies. I saw this illustrated for me this last week when I watched an interview on television, and the interview was with a man who was a former politician. Several months ago, he had been diagnosed with a terminal disease. The interviewer was asking him questions and trying to get to the root of how this man was able to think the way he was thinking and how he was able to be hopeful, and how he was able to have joy, even though he knew that he had weeks, maybe months, only to live.
Understanding God's Sovereignty
This man went on to talk about what we're reading in this verse right here. He understood that God was in control. He understood that God was sovereign. He understood that God had a plan and that nothing could thwart that plan. The more clearly you see who God is, the more fitting your praise is going to become, and the more honestly you remember what God has done for you, the more impossible it becomes to hold back your praise and your worship.
Remember these words in 1 Timothy chapter 1, verse 17: "All honor and glory to God forever and ever. He is the eternal King, the unseen One who never dies. He alone is God. Amen."
