I was reminded today that God knows what's going on and that He's in control. And it's not just the big things like COVID-19 or the political morass in Washington, D.C., or climate change.
He is in control of the little things, too. Case in point.
I started reading "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren in 2004. At the time, my friend Lorri and I were going to read through it together and share what we learned with each other. For whatever reason, we got to chapter 14 and stopped. At least that's where my notes stop. :)
Flash forward to today. I've had "The Purpose Driven Life" on my bookshelf ever since, sitting next to the notebook I was using to take notes. Finally I felt like it was time to return to the book as part of my daily devotions (that aren't necessarily daily, but at least they happen more regularly than they used to). Anyway, about a week ago, I started with chapter one. I haven't gone back to review my notes. I don't want me from 15 years ago to interfere with what God has for me today. Anyway, today was chapter seven, which talks about God's goal for us - glorifying Him. Warren gives a brief overview of the five purposes God has for us, which include becoming more like Christ. I knew that. That's been part of the teaching of every church I've attended in my life. We're commanded to recognize and reflect His glory, honor it, declare it and praise Him.
OK, so far so good. Now for God's control.
Tonight's prayer meeting scripture was Ecclesiastes 9:1-10, in which God gives us four things to enjoy during our time on this planet - meals (hooray!), life in general, marriage (an area I'm not part of) and work. Work. Ouch. If I'm truly living for God's glory, I have to enjoy work. Now, I love what I do. I love getting to watch young athletes hone their skills and improve at the sports they love and share their successes with people who read our papers. But there are things about work I don't enjoy. Deadlines, for one. Sure, we say we work "better" when we're on a deadline. I'm not sure that's the case - we just work faster and have to be done at a given point. Office drama, for another. Every office has its soap operas, right? I do not enjoy those. I don't enjoy seeing people unhappy in their chosen profession. But I have to remember I'm not working for my boss or the company that owns our papers. I'm working for Christ. He's my ultimate boss. By enjoying work, I'm reflecting His glory.
To have both thoughts thrown at me in the same day is not circumstance or happenstance or any other stance. It's sovereign direction. It's God showing His control over the little things. My friend Lisa and I found Lamentations 3:12-13 during our senior year in college: "He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins."
Now, true Bible scholars will have great, deep interpretations of these two verses, but we decided that they meant God takes target practice. He knows what we need to hear and when we need to hear it. He has the arrow of His wisdom and teaching nocked on the string, and we're the target. And He never misses. Sometimes the arrows are more the size of 2x4s because He needs to get my attention. But He knows exactly what we need to hear to be challenged to take that next step in our spiritual walk. And as we walk with Him, we reflect His glory.
