Tag Archive for God Is Working All Around You

God Is Always Working

How many are your works, O Lord!
In wisdom you made them all.
(Psalm 104:24, NIV)

I sail through so many daily activities with
boredom or
indifference.
When tough experiences come, I greet them with
fear or
resentment.

Lord, I assume the meaninglessness of life as
You have allowed it to come to me.
I believe I’ll recognize the significant when I see it,
but much of the time, life seems either
mundane or
unkind.

But then, Lord,
I catch a glimpse of beauty, or
I see deep meaning in some common event
I’ve witnessed a thousand times.
I look back and realize
tremendous value in some trial about which
I complained so bitterly.

Lord, You are always working!
I will keep my faith awake and
my eyes fixed on You.

Despair of yourself as much as you want,
but do not despair of God.
He is always loving,
always powerful,
always wise, and
He will reward you according to your faith in Him.
(paraphrased from Francois Fenelon)

Hymn: God Is Working All Around You

When You Don’t Belong

You live far away from what feels like home,
far from those so dear to you.
You feel like
a foreigner,
an exile,
like you just don’t belong here.
Life has been unfair, and
the years continue to roll by with
your deepest longings frustrated.

You are in excellent company!
I have just described the life stories of
Joseph (coat-of-many-colors Joseph),
Daniel, and
Moses.
Their lives were riddled with
alienation and
hardship.

Yet because they lived in “a foreign land,”
God used them to introduce Himself
to many who otherwise would have never known Him.

Through their hardship,
God refined them.
He shaped them into
special servants,
uniquely His own.
Through their suffering, He showed the world just how
great and
good and
wonderful He is!

You are in the personal care of the
all-wise,
all-loving,
almighty God.
No matter what your situation,
He is right now working all things for
your good and
the good of countless others.
Smile!
Rejoice! 

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Hymn: God Is Working All Around You
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Silent Witnesses

Too often we look at the helplessness of infancy and of old age and feel that such lives are useless. We seem to think that if they can’t DO anything, what is the use of them living.

But we forget that God glorifies Himself most magnificently, not through our strength, not through our sufficiency, but through our weakness.

“My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 2:9, NIV)

Look at the way sovereign God chose to feed the five thousand, or slay a giant, or demolish the impregnable walls of Jericho. He chose to use weakness because it proved that He Himself was acting, not some human agent.

We have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves. (2 Corinthians 4:7, NASB)

Look at the example of Jesus. While He was still a helpless infant, only doing what infants do, God used Him powerfully. His arrival proved God’s faithfulness to His promises. His humble circumstances said more about God’s tenderness and mercy than words could ever express. News of His birth drew worshipers from a country and a religion far away.

God can powerfully use helpless infants.

When Jesus was in His final moments, able only to gasp and groan, God painted a picture of love that none of us can ever forget.

Even when we can no longer do God’s work, God can work through us.

I am not proposing a simplistic solution to the complex issues of life and death. But when He allows those in the grip of death to linger a bit, don’t doubt His wisdom or goodness. Even when we can no longer speak a testimony, our silent witness can eloquently glorify the God who is always faithful and who never leaves us alone.

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Hymn: God Is Working All Around You
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