This morning I was reading the book of Zephaniah, and had a picture run through my mind and spirit of the ages of the Lord's crafting and directing, watching over His plans and purposes through generation after generation.
Here is one verse that got me thinking - Zephaniah 3:6 NIV: “I have destroyed nations; their strongholds are demolished. I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are laid waste; they are deserted and empty.”
When I read that verse I saw sort of a fast action view of the world and empires rising and falling, cities being built and destroyed, families growing and spreading, nations rising and falling, and it was all part of HIs plan! We are at a point in history within that flow of His working, and He is every bit as focused and in control as He has ever been. Somewhere in the mix of all this the thread of His purpose and plan that would produce me was being watched over, blessed and directed.
As I was thinking about this and God’s plans for redemption, His purposes, I saw how my life was just this tiny little thread in the greater work of the Lord, but one that He has been actively directing, guiding and blessing, along with all the rest of the work He is doing in the earth! His plans are so rich, so complex, so perfect!
In my life time, I think about how He has directed us (My family) to our present state, relating with our friends and family, and all of it matters to Him. There are in each of our lives, things that have been forgotten, things done long ago, people and places we used to frequent that we no longer do. The Lord’s hand is over all our lives, He is so intimately aware of our situation, or the days and weeks and years that have been perfectly crafted to get us to this point.
Our back-stories go back centuries, as our family trees are each crafted and purposed to bring us to this place in time and space. I have traced my honey’s ancestry back tens of generations, and while most of us don’t have records, this is true for all of us. Her genetics go back to the before the time of Christ, and who she is is directly there result of all those generations of people marrying and having children. Her ancestors are scattered across North America, the UK and Europe. The combination of all of them has resulted in her creation! It is just amazing to think about God’s purpose and plan alive and well through all of that!
I am reminded once again of the statement Paul makes in Athens, found in Acts 17:26-28 NIV:
[26] “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. [27] God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. [28] ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
My appointed time in History is now, and the boundary of my land, my influence is set by Him. This has been a part of His plan since before the creation of the world! This is just so amazing to me! I think I need to reread Ps 139.
[13] “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. [14] I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. [15] My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.”
[16] “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. [17] How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! [18] Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.”
I am also reminded of Paul’s grasp of this concept and his statement found in Ephesians 1:3-6 NIV:
[3] “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. [4] For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love [5] he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— [6] to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”
This morning I am just amazed by the grandeur of the Lord’s plan and purpose in my life! I am amazed at HIs infinite ability to interact with all of us, with every nation and tribe, every individual, and perfectly coordinate it all inline with His plans and purposes!
He truly is far beyond our comprehension, and yet He is knowable to each of us, in our own way, in our life!
Wow!
Lord, help me to better grasp Your magnificent plan and glory!
Amen!
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