Personally, I am really looking forward to “that” day. I am not sure when that day is going to be, but it will be here before I know it. And when it does arrive, this is what I’ll do first: I will grab two chairs. Not the uncomfortable, metal constructed, butt-numbing type of chairs. These chairs will be the big overstuffed chairs wrapped in well-worn leather. The type that when you sit down the chair conforms to your body. I will pull out my methodically constructed list and with a smirk emerging from the corner of my mouth, I will say, “Hey God, you got time?” Over the next several decades, I will ask Him every question that is on my list.
The List
Some of the questions are light-hearted, almost on the verge of comical. For instance, “God, what were you thinking when you created the platypus? Were you having an extra creative day? Did you intentionally create the platypus to look like that? Or did you sneeze when you were creating it?” Another question is this: “Why did you create the mosquito? Is there some great cosmic reason? Or was it solely to test our patience?” I have numerous questions like this, but I will spare you the absurdity that wreaks havoc in my mind.
My longer, and definitely more complex list, focuses on thoughts, questions, and doubts that seem not to possess any helpful answers or perspectives here on earth. They are questions that scientists have done their best to give helpful insights but have fallen way short. The smartest philosophers have circled around these questions for thousands of years, never really gaining any meaningful ground. Deep questions, which if you are not careful, will send doubts surging through your veins. These questions usually start with “Why” and “How”. The structure of the questions are simple in wording, but the answers are complex and usually leaves you confounded.
I have a list of “those” questions that do not seem to possess any great resolve within my spirit, at least not here on earth. The emotions attached to my questions and the void that is created by the lack of any good, soul quenching insight can spread a sense of apprehension throughout my body. As I have navigated through this life, I find myself coming back to a place that I must . . . embrace.
Embrace God’s Sovereignty
Your faith journey must, at some point, embrace the Sovereignty of God. And the use of the word “must” is not an overstatement or exaggeration. It simply . . . must. If your foundation does not rest in the Sovereignty of God, then Genesis 1 starts to crumble, Exodus 14 is reduced to a classic Hollywood movie, and Daniel 6 is an epic fairy tale made for a child’s imagination. It’s the heroic step of faith that places your trust in an all powerful, all knowing, and everywhere loving Father. (Read more about trusting God here.) That decision, which I am not sure if it is a singular moment or a constantly evolving movement, must try to grasp the true nature of the mind expanding concept that wraps itself around that one word, sovereign.
Embrace Your Purpose
There is a lot written about purpose, destiny, and gifting. And all of that is fine, and at some level, important. What I am sharing next isn’t to dismiss the importance of those three things. My heart is simply to reorder the priority. It feels good, personally, to talk about “My Destiny”, and ask “How am I gifted?”, and focus on discovering “My Purpose”. But all those thoughts have the same focus . . . “Me”.
And if you are like me, you have become an expert in wrapping those thoughts and conversations with a statement like this: “I am honoring and serving God.” There is a slippery slope, and if you are not careful, you will slide down that slope.
Ultimately, if you are a Christ-follower, your purpose is to point people to Jesus. Period. Now, that can be done numerous ways. But the purpose of your life shifts when you grasp the depth of love God has for you. It is this unconditional love that was put into motion when Jesus chose to die and radical grace was extended. This act of amazing grace and unrelenting love is what shifts your purpose. It is in response to Jesus that shifts your purpose. And that purpose is now solely focused on joining God in his great pursuit: For all people to experience eternal life with Him.
Embrace the Unimaginable
There is a powerful prayer from the first church. It is recorded in Acts 4. In the midst of overwhelming persecution, isolation, and fear of the unknown, this group of people chose to focus on the Sovereignty of God. And because of that, they knew that everything was going to be okay. Not easy. Not without its challenges. But if God is truly sovereign, then everything, and that is a literal everything, is in His grasp. The prayer that erupted from a moment of intense fear quickly turned into a prayer of promise. A prayer of hope. And a prayer of expectancy, knowing that God was present and willing to do the unimaginable.
Embrace
I do not know what you are facing right now. No matter what, I encourage you to embrace God’s sovereignty. He has this. He is with you. His peace is unending, and his strength is consuming. His love is unconditional, and His grace is encompassing. As you embrace God’s sovereignty, your eyes will start to see what He sees. Your heart will feel what He feels. In a powerful step, your purpose starts to be less consumed with yourself, and you will start allowing God to use your story, right where you are, to share with other people the depth of Jesus’s love.
And when that happens, just sit back and watch with anticipation . . . . the unimaginable.