The Alpha and the Omega
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”Revelation 22:13
Reflection
Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet — the "A" and the "Z", so to speak. When Jesus declares Himself "the Alpha and the Omega", He is saying He encompasses everything, from beginning to end, from first to last. There is nothing before Him nor after Him. He was at the beginning of all things and will be at the end of them all. This declaration, appearing near the last chapter of the Bible, is an affirmation of Christ’s total sovereignty over all history — that of the universe and yours, individually.
Think of what it means for Jesus to be both the "beginning" and the "end" of your life. He is the Alpha: He was present at your origin, He knew you before you were born, He began His work in your life. And He is the Omega: He is already in your future, He knows the outcome of your story, He will be the final point of your whole journey. This means your life is entirely "surrounded" by Christ — He is in your past and in your future, in your beginning and in your end. You will never go to a place where He has not been before, nor arrive at an end He does not know.
This brings immense security for the middle of the story — which is where we live. We are always in the "middle": in the middle of a problem, of a wait, of an uncertainty, without seeing how things will end. And it is precisely in the middle that anxiety grows, because we do not see the end. But knowing Jesus is the Omega — that He is already at the end, that He knows the outcome — allows us to trust in the middle. The Author who wrote the beginning and already knows the end is in control of every intermediate chapter. You do not have to see the end of your story to trust; you only have to know that the One who holds you has already been there.
Note that this is one of the last things said in the Bible — almost the final words of the whole book. And it is significant that the Bible, which begins with "in the beginning God created", ends with Jesus declaring Himself the beginning AND the end. History has an Author who surrounds it whole, and that history moves toward a glorious, guaranteed outcome. If today you are "in the middle" — in the middle of a struggle, a doubt, a hard chapter whose end you cannot see — rest in this truth: your Savior is the Alpha and the Omega. He began the good work in you and will complete it. He is at the end you fear, waiting for you. And because He is the first and the last, you can trust every step of the middle. Your story is safe in the hands of the One who already knows the last page.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, You are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. You were at the origin of my life and are already at its outcome. When I grow anxious "in the middle" of my story, unable to see how it will all end, remind me that You are already at the end, waiting for me. I trust every intermediate chapter, because the Author who writes it already knows the last page. Amen.
Put it into practice
Facing a situation whose "end" you cannot see, rest in the truth that Jesus is the Omega: He is already in that future. Instead of despairing over not seeing the outcome, trust the Author who knows the last page, and take the next step of the "middle" with peace.
To reflect on
Have you grown anxious "in the middle" of your story for not seeing the end — and how does it change to trust that Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega, is already at the outcome you fear?
Bible text: King James Version (public domain).