IN FAITH
Reflections On How God Holds Things Together
Change always brings with it several kinds of feelings. If the change is a happy one, one that we anticipated, then there is a fair amount of joy that accompanies it. If the change is an unanticipated one, then there may be anxiety or fear, doubt, and some physical tension that goes with the territory.
One of the things, which our faith as Christians teaches us, is that God is at work in situations long before we get there. Most of the time we don’t think about that. We tend to focus on what we can see or sense with our five senses. But, God, whose Spirit cannot be seen, is at work, none-the-less. When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus on that night long ago, when Nicodemus came to Jesus trying to understand how to enter the Kingdom (rule) of God, Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said: “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8 NIV)
In other words, as we walk with Christ in faith (trust) and surrender to His will, the Holy Spirit will unquestionably be at work in our lives, even if we cannot perceive it at the time. It may be sometime before we can perceive the results of that life changing work (grace). Others may even perceive it before we do. But, the changes become obvious on the outside, because the Spirit has already done the work on the inside.
If God is truly at work in our lives in such a way, it is also very true that God is at work in the lives of others (who invite God to do so) and in the world at large. After all, the world belongs to God. What this means for us, as we enter into new challenges, even if they are unexpected, is that Jesus Christ Himself will go with us, as we face the challenges, to help us to grow in faith and in grace.
I want to leave with this thought. The other day, as I was driving by a church, I noticed that on the church sign in front of the church were these words: “God Is My Superglue: Therefore I Will Not Fall Apart.”
This is how the Apostle Paul said it: “He (Jesus Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. {16} For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. {17} He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15-17 NIV)
Because of this, we can face any challenge. Thanks be to God! Amen.
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