“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” – Romans 11:33
When God is so great and so far beyond our understanding, I find my mind checking out. I can’t even begin to fathom what that even means.
Until … I get a tiny glimpse in my normal everyday … and my mind is blown!
This past week in the evenings hubby and I have been working on converting hubby’s grandparents’ old slides to digital photos. I say “we” but all that means is hubby has been converting the slides to digital photos, while I have merely sat next to him enjoying the slide show as each old photo pops up on the computer screen.
Slides of people from 75 years ago doing normal everyday work together.
Slides of people from 75 years ago worshipping in church together.
Slides of people from 75 years ago hanging out and having fun together.
Old-fashioned clothing styles.
Old-fashioned handbags and hair scarves.
Old-fashioned automobiles & trucks.
God chose for these particular people to live at that particular time in history. The current events of the world they were living in were filled with just as much anxiety and uncertainty. That was the time in history God wanted them to live.
And God wanted these particular people to make an impact on their generation and their world of that time … for His glory.
God chose for them to live in this particular place in the world … at that particular time in history. Each of the people in the old slides could have been born anywhere in the world. But they were each born in the United States. They lived in the Pacific Northwest.
God wanted these particular people to make an impact on this particular place in the world … at that particular time in history … for His glory.
God chose for these people’s lives to intersect with the lives of those people next to them in the photos.
I’m sure there were probably some people whom they went to church with, or whom they worked with, who were absolutely annoying and who “got on their last nerve!”
But at the same time, I’m sure there were people whom they went to church with and whom they “did life” together with, whose influence shaped them each into the people that they were.
I’m sure they laughed together. I have no doubt they probably cried together during life’s tragedies. They overcame obstacles together. I’m sure they shared prayer requests together … and they prayed for each other. They supported each other. They worshipped God together. They learned God’s Word together.
God wanted these particular people to make an impact on these other particular people … in this particular place in the world … at this particular time in history.
A verse I have always loved is: “When David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep;” – Acts 13:36
God had a very specific purpose for David’s life: to impact his generation … at that particular time in history … in that particular place in the world.
The same thing is true for my life. The same thing is true for your life.
God has a very specific purpose for each of our lives: to impact this generation, these particular people … at this particular time in history … in this particular place in the world (wherever you might be).
Out of the billions and billions of people in the world … and the billions of people who have lived over the last millennia … God knows each person!
Not only that … God chose for each person to live in their specific time period – on purpose!
God chose for each person to “rub shoulders” with these other specific people, in that particular time period – on purpose!
Is that not mind blowing!?!
Just the logistics of knowing what each person is like and how their interactions with these other people will impact and shape them into the person they will become …
To have that kind of knowledge is ming blowing!
Just the logistics of knowing what each person is like and how the current world they live in will shape them into the person they will become …
To have that kind of knowledge is ming blowing!
What is the purpose of life?
* To glorify God.
* And to be continually shaped into the image of Jesus Christ – or, in other words, to become more and more like Jesus.
God knows everything about me. Everything.
God knows everything about you.
And God’s purpose is that you and I would glorify Him.
So God chose to place you and me here … at this particular time in history … in this particular place … so that my life and your life would bring glory to him right here, right now.
And … God chose for you and me to “rub shoulders” with these particular people (at church, at work, in our social circles, etc.) … so that each of us would be made more and more like Jesus Christ.
Those annoying people (at work or at church) who get on our very last nerve … God is using them specifically and on purpose to make me and you more like Jesus Christ.
That person who forever impacted our life with their love … God used them specifically and on purpose to make you and me more like Jesus Christ.
Out of the billions and billions of people who have ever lived … God has known each person! Uniquely and individually! So much so that God specifically chose each person for their own specific time in history to live … in their own specific place in the world to live … rubbing shoulders with the specific people around them. So that people would know him more!
Mind blowing! Absolutely mind blowing!
“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
“Who has known the mind of the Lord? … For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever!” – Romans 11:33-36
