I am currently listening through a sermon series over the book of Acts. The main point of this sermon series is that the Holy Spirit is writing the story of our life. And many times, we will not understand our own story … it doesn’t make sense, this story that the Holy Spirit is writing.
Just like in the book of Acts, Jesus physically left his disciples (and returned back to heaven) after having just given them the assignment to go, and to be witnesses of Him to the whole world. How were they supposed to do this?? Jesus was no longer physically present with them. This didn’t make any sense.
As the disciples turned and walked back down the Mt. of Olives (after Jesus left them) they didn’t know the story that was being written. They were in the middle of the suspense, and it didn’t make sense. It felt utterly impossible.
They did not know that the Holy Spirit was going to come to be with them. They did not know the Holy Spirit was going to fill them with power to accomplish the assignment.
When you are in the middle of the story, you don’t know what is going to happen.
And there you wait, just like the disciples waited … in the uncomfortableness of not knowing. In the suspense …
This past Monday we went to a baseball game. Prior to the game starting, the players were down on the field stretching and warming up. The players didn’t know how the game was going to go … but they needed to stretch and warm up so they would be ready for whatever happened.
As the game progressed, nobody knew how the game was going to end. That was the entire reason we all were there. The stadium was filled with people because of the suspense of not knowing what was going to happen.
That’s what makes going to the game fun … the suspense of not knowing what is going to happen.
Along this same line, recently I finished reading a book entitled: Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall. It was a very engaging read. The author was an excellent writer, and the suspense held me captive! Who was going to win the race at the end??
This is why we enjoy reading a good book … because of the suspense of not knowing what is going to happen.
This is why we enjoy going to see a movie or a theater production … because of the suspense of not knowing what is going to happen.
But when it comes to our own life … the story of our life which the Holy Spirit is writing … we don’t like the suspense! We don’t want it! It’s uncomfortable! It doesn’t make sense! It takes us by surprise and throws us off balance.
“God, why are you writing my story this way?? This isn’t how it’s supposed to go. It feels like my life is falling apart. I don’t like this pain, this struggle. God, why are you writing my story this way??”
At the baseball game this past Monday, it was a typical baseball game: score of 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, etc. …
Until the top of the 7th inning, when the opposing team got a score.
Now we needed a comeback! Now the game actually got interesting. In the 8th inning our team had bases loaded! There was actually some excitement now. There was some suspense.
We struck out! Bummer!
Nothing much happened in the top of the 9th, but at the bottom of the 9th our team got a runner on base. Suspense was high! Then our player hit a home run!! The crowd went wild! The stadium came alive! Pyrotechnics went off! The big screens flashed in celebration! Party-music pumped at full volume!
Our players rounded the bases, and as the home-run-hitter came home … the entire team rushed out of the dugout and onto the field, with the big container of Gatorade to dump in celebration! Gatorade and ice covered home plate! And just like that, the game was over.
Why was the game so exciting? Why was the game so much fun?
Because of the suspense!
The same thing is true when it comes to the story of our life which the Holy Spirit is writing. We don’t want the suspense. We don’t want the hard thing we’re going through.
But that’s what makes the story of our life so compelling. That’s what makes the story of our life so engaging.
God is writing a masterpiece of the story of our life. And God is an excellent author!
Trust the author! The story He is writing will be a masterpiece … even if right now we don’t understand, even if right now it doesn’t make sense, even if right now it’s painful. Trust the author! Even in the suspense.
