I’m working on a theory. OK, I’m not a scientist, nor am I a learned scholar. Nevertheless, I have a theory. I think the writers of old who penned the works known collectively as the Bible knew what they were talking about when they wrote about God being involved in literally the routine and mundane things in our lives.
David wrote about it. Daniel did, too. Many of the writers of old talked glowingly and waxed eloquent regarding God’s provision for His creation in even those things that we might otherwise take for granted.
In today’s world we tend to dismiss such thoughts. We say that the writers of old didn’t know about scientific theory, the solar system or the water cycle. We say that they attributed to God things that they could not otherwise explain, and that because we are an advanced people, we have explanations for such things that do not involve the intervention of a deity.
I’m not so sure. I was prompted to think, following yesterday’s evening lesson at church, that perhaps there are a couple of reasons why we tend to poo poo such ideas. One, perhaps we like to think of ourselves as intelligent and advanced…too “smart” to fall for such explanations. Two, could it be possible that God’s work in our routine lives is so pervasive that we don’t know what it’s like to be without that work…therefore, we don’t appreciate and “see” what He truly does?
Think for a moment what might be different about your life right now if God, just for today, did not work in your sphere of consciousness. How would things be different? Would you have food to eat? Would you have shelter? What about a job? Maybe your spouse, children, or relatives might not exist or be different. Would you have gasoline to power your car? Would you have a car? Would you be healthy? Would you even be alive?
We have not a clue how much of what we ate today was due to the work of God in our lives. Nor do we have a clue whether or not we would even be alive today if God didn’t work on our behalf.
I suspect we would be a lot like the servant of Elisha who, when confronted with Aram and his army (II Kings 6), wrung his hands and wondered what they were going to do. We don’t see the work of God or the hand of God in anything. We are too cynical, too logical for that. You may know the rest of the story: Elisha prayed that God would allow the servant to see what was really happening, and the servant then saw God’s army surrounding everything.
What would happen to us if we really saw what God was doing right around us?
5 comments:
It's interesting that you wrote on this subject, when this morning in our church service the speaker gave us the same basic message, and question, how do you see God at work in your life? Good thoughts to ponder.
Uncle Wayne
One correction on my first comment - of course it was Sunday morning, not this morning. Just getting old I guess.
WDK
I would agree with your comments, and would wonder what our younger brother might think.
I agree with Jay's basic premise - we don't have a clue. I could be a lot, it could be very little. I just happen to be on the latter end of the sentence.
An interesting thought experiment though.
Kevin.
Well well. I like this thought:
Two, could it be possible that God’s work in our routine lives is so pervasive that we don’t know what it’s like to be without that work…therefore, we don’t appreciate and “see” what He truly does?
I am reminded of two thoughts from Scripture, one being that "He sustains all things by His powerful word," and the other is "and in Him all things hold together" (Colossians 1:17 and Hebrews 1:3, respectively).
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