14 April 2020
‘I’ll wait until I get home’
Key verse v 10 ‘but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end.’ or from the Living Bible ‘But when we have been made perfect and complete, then the need for these inadequate special gifts will come to an end, and they will disappear.
Let us continue on with our journey and look at the third aspect of what is judged to be a good story, ‘Movement’ the way that the story unfolds. American Minister, theologian, author and poet Eugene Peterson defined Christian counselling as “listening to someone’s story and looking for the movement of God.” I believe that he is stating that God is always actively doing something in a Christian’s life. Yet how can we believe this when life appears to come to a stop, nothing seems to be happening or there is so much happening that we are attacked from all sides?
In this unprecedented time with Covid19, I have heard people say “What is God up to in allowing this to take place?” Our response should be that we do not know (V 12 for now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, (even as I have been fully known) but that we do know that He is going through this with us. We may know of loved ones, friends or people who have lost loved ones through this virus, but it is not for us to be speaking about the ultimate problems of the universe. No it is time for us to be looking upward and not down as the chorus says ‘Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his Glory and Grace’ and it is a time for trustful prayer.
I know from experience that not every Christian is strong enough in faith and able to praise God in the midst of trouble and to believe that He is bringing about something good. I include myself in this and have on occasion instead of praising God found that I have been travelling in silent obedience. Throughout my Christian life there have been many dark times that I have not been able to fully understand, however whatever God’s intention I am told in scripture that it is good and as I have grown come to realise that his words are true “I will never leave you or forsake you”.
I am reminded of a story once told to me not long after I came to the Lord. I was told that God will only allow us to bear what we are able to and that he will always provide a way out of temptation that comes to us. He said to me imagine that I have put you in a room that is full of rubbish (your life) and there is only a 20 watt bulb in the light when it is switched on what you see clean it up. Have you cleaned the whole room? No, so now I put a 40 watt bulb in to light the room you can now see more things to clean. God works in our lives this way gently and lovingly showing us what need to be changed in our lives.
So the story is moving onwards unfolding as we go forward, but for the final explanation we must wait until we get home, and then our heavenly Father will explain it all Himself.