Not one leaf falls without the full knowledge of God. A horse does not drop her foal or a dolphin leap above a crashing wave without the Creator’s eye looking down. All we are, all we have, all we will become are offered unselfishly by God with only the condition that we love Him in return.
“…who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” 1Timothy 6:17
There is no arrogance in His gifts to us, although there could be. My son, Will, told me a joke the other day. There was a debate between God and an Agnostic. The Agnostic said to God, “Anyone can create something.” Our God responded, “then show me.” The Agnostic bent over and picked up dirt to form a creation to which God replied, “Get your own dirt!”
The question then must surface, “Is God your ‘assistant’ or is He your ‘life’?” It is not to be answered quickly but with thought. Many of us call upon God when we need help, when times or seasons are changing in our lives and we feel out of control. We call upon Him when there seems ‘no other way out.’ We don’t speak with Him daily or pray for direction in all that we do. We don’t make our every word – His; our every move – His own.
I remember as a child my Mom requesting that we pray she be able to find a good parking spot. I love that in my Mom. As we approached down town she had no doubt that the Lord would help her find just the right space to unload three small children. Some might say we shouldn’t bother God with such trivia. To them I would reply, I have no doubt the Creator of the Universe smiles when my Mama asks for help finding a parking spot and He diligently moves just the right automobile for her because He is not her assistant – He is her life.
The configurations of the seasons, the setting of the sun, the very signs of greying hairs on our heads are all calculated by God – He has never been surprised – not once.
I remember a time when I received bad news and as I sat trying to take it all in I heard the voice of a friend, “Do you think God is freaking out?”
It took me a moment to take in his words. “Freaking out?”
“Yes. Do you think God is going, ‘Oh no! This is happening to Nora! What can I do? How can I help her out of this?”
The words of my friend still ring in my head anytime I face a tragedy or uncertain situation. If God already knew in advance that such would occur in my life, then He already knows what needs to be done to get me through it. I only need to roll up my pants legs, pull up my bootstraps, tighten my boots, and get going. And because God is not my assistant but my life, I willingly must be able to trust that He is in control and will take care of what needs to be done. I only have to do the work here and believe.
God weaves His history into our lives, preparing the way, giving the direction, providing the answer.
