Friday, November 15, 2019

My Insignificance

Job 38:25-33
"Who has cleft a channel for the flood,
Or a way for the thunderbolt 
To bring rain on a land without people,
On a desert without a man in it,
To satisfy the waste and desolate land
And to make the seeds of grass to sprout?
Has the rain a father?
Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
From whose womb has come the ice?
And the frost of heaven, who has given it birth?
Water becomes hard like stone, 
nd the surface of the deep is imprisoned.
Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades,
Or loose the cords of Orion?
Can you lead forth a constellation in its season,
And guide the Bear with her satellites?
Do you know the ordinances of the heavens,
Or fix their rule over the earth?"



Have you ever stopped to consider the immensity of our Almighty God? When I really take the time to dwell on it, I stand in awe. God is SO big and SO great! Creation is the easiest way I find to meditate on His immensity, artistry, creativity, and even love. It's the most tangible and evident of His works.

Take one tiny piece of His creation: a tree. Every leaf it buds, every flower it blooms, every branch it grows, every ring in its trunk is fashioned by His hand, designed specifically for that tree. Even its parts have pieces and parts - like a leaf. You start to hone in toward DNA, molecules and atoms, and then even quarks and quasars... at least millions of atoms are required to create ONE tree. Double that complexity when you introduce a new species of tree... and keep going for each of the over 6,000 species of tree in the world! We haven't even gotten to the other nearly 400,000 species of plants, yet. Not to mention animals (don't get me started on the ability to THINK and everything that affects!). 

How much more is God doing moment-by-moment? Well, a tree isn't just a painting or a sculpture; it's a living thing with a job that both requires and affects its environment. Its dark green leaves contain chlorophyll so it can absorb the sun's energy to then take in carbon dioxide from the air and water (funneled up from its roots), which it then converts into carbohydrates and oxygen. God created every single piece of this process to work in harmony. He created every plant and animal for a purpose - even if it's sometimes just to be pretty (so far as we know). Each part affects another, creating an ecosystem... of which we also have many different kinds in the world.

Every aspect of our earth is so intricate! There are so many different types of elements, minerals, and rock. The way our earth's crust and core and tectonic plates work together is a larger-scale illustration of His work - not to mention the atmosphere and what keeps our world together. Then there's keeping it on the right path for all our seasons, etc. in our solar system - not to mention the universe! God created and MAINTAINS every atom in the entire universe! The magnitude just blows my mind!

In that grand scheme, I consider myself. I am nothing! And yet... God still created me for His purpose: to make me more like Him and to bring Him glory. God loves me in my insignificance (not despite it!). He made me to glorify Him! THAT is an amazing thing! I am so thankful for the fact He made me insignificant, for a multitude of reasons.

I am not all-wise, all-powerful, all-knowing, or all-present. I wouldn't be even if I were perfect. If I had to control everything (and we didn't even go into thoughts and feelings and human interaction!), the universe would implode in a heartbeat. I don't even have true control over MY next heartbeat. To be able to put all that control into the hands of the Almighty God, the I AM, who is all-wise, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present, and who loves me so much He bore the ultimate suffering to make a way I could be with Him - despite all the evil I commit against Him... yes... I am thankful for my insignificance, because it means I don't have to worry. Instead, it simply reveals God's amazing power, grace, and love.

How is God revealing His power, grace, and love to you today?

Friday, November 8, 2019

God's Plan

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son..."
Romans 8:28-29a

"'Will you really annul My judgment? Will you condemn Me that You may be justified?'"
Job 40:8



Thank you, Lord, that my every circumstance has passed through Your hands. Not just the big circumstances, but the moments when the traffic light changes (or doesn't); when I slip and fall; when my children are being wonderful or whiney. In every moment, small or large, You work all things to make us more like You. 

I don't always appreciate it; I'm not always in line with You. Help me to recognize Your purpose in those moments. Help me contemplate rather than criticize Your plan. Turn my heart toward You in humble trust; don't let me elevate myself to pride thinking I can judge You. Thank You for Your grace that suffers my prideful thinking until You turn me back to You. Thank You that You have made a way for me to even approach You in Your holiness. Thank You, Lord, for Your plan.