In previous posts, we discussed the concept of us being God’s Masterpiece, based on Ephesians 2:10:
For we are God’s masterpiece (or his workmanship, in another version). He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
We also are seeing how creating a piece of art parallels God’s work in our lives. One point that it’s a little different is with the art process.
PROCESS
If you’ve ever created something—this process may look familiar. But because of God’s perspective, he doesn’t have to deal with the middle stages of this process. He knows everything to come and how it turns out.
We, on the other hand, can’t see that far ahead in our latest creation, OR in our lives. But God has purpose in this process…as we discussed earlier, God has a brilliant plan for each one of us and it starts with his promises.
PROMISES
We don’t start with a blank canvas when we’re born. We already have layer after layer of God’s promises built up before we even get here. Listen to some of these…they should give us hope!
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
However, as it is written:
What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived–the things God has prepared for those who love him…
1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV)
Can we believe all that? Yup!
So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:11 (NIV)
So in this creative process, we know it’s going to get hard ahead. Let us remember to trust his promises that he’s working into our journey, before we hit the painful part…
PAIN
So, it might be hard to hear that because God is all powerful, He could have prevented all the yucky stuff from happening to you. BUT, because He is all knowing and all wise as well, He allowed it to happen.
He could have stopped XYZ from happening in your life. But he didn’t.
WHY? To make you miserable – to make you suffer for years on end?
NO! Just to be clear, God doesn’t make bad stuff happen to us…We live in a fallen world. We have to live with consequences not only of our own sin, but also the sin of other’s against us. But! He doesn’t waste anything! He uses that XYZ to draw you to him, to grow you in ways you couldn’t have grown otherwise. To reveal a different part of his character to you in that season.
God has so many facets to his character and in different seasons, we need him in different ways. Has he been your Healer? Your Redeemer? Your Provider? Your Protector?
With each season, ask God what He wants you to learn in this time and place and who He wants to be for you in each season.
PRAYER
This opens up a whole new dimension into the ugly layer or season. Where the divine meets our yuck. I ran across this excerpt from a book several years ago, but unfortunately, I didn’t capture the book or the author. These are not my words, but thought them so powerful…
Prayer is a Catalyst
Prayer unleashes a chain of events that brings about God’s desired outcome for the situation. It’s as if I asked God for bread, and in order to grant my request, He chops down trees, pulls out stumps, plows the field, plants and tends the wheat, all before finally threshing it, grinding it, and baking it. I get my bread, but there is a whole lot of other stuff going on. It’s the other stuff that makes prayer so scary. It’s the sudden awareness of “God, I didn’t know you were going to have to chop down that tree to get me my bread.” It’s the uh-oh feeling of “God, I didn’t know you needed my sacred cow for the butter.”
When we start praying, we’re thinking He’s just going to hand us a slab of bread. But he wants to feed us with Living Bread, so He goes to the heart of the matter and takes care of the reason we were hungry in the first place. He does abundantly above all that we ask or think.
Remember how his ways are so beyond our ways from Isaiah 55:8-9? His timing is all different too. He usually waits until the last minute for dramatic effect (from my perspective anyway!), but it’s all in His perfect timing.
When we pray, we usually wait for God to show up. But maybe we are looking at his provision in the wrong way…
PROVISION
It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 (ESV)
The best visual aid I have for this verse is from the book “Calm My Anxious Heart” by Linda Dillow. This is a major paraphrase–no disrespect to the original text.
Visual Aid
So imagine yourself behind a steering wheel, and you think you know where you’re going, but you’re not quite sure how to get there. You know there’s weather and construction on the road ahead, so you’re checking your maps (this is a pre-gps story) and feeling stressed and anxious if you should go this way, or that way…
Well, zoom out a little bit, and you’re actually sitting in the back seat of a big SUV. God is driving, Jesus is riding shotgun, and the Holy Spirit is sitting beside you in the backseat. You’re steering wheel isn’t connected to anything (we think we are in control, but we aren’t! (Proverbs 16:9)).
God doesn’t need any maps because He knows where we are going–He’s already been there. He even knows what the weather will be like and what obstacles will show up on the way. And he’s going to drive us through it. We don’t have to worry or fret. We just need to sit back and enjoy the ride.
We have the undivided attention of the Almighty, Holy God of the Universe who is so captivated with us, who wants to spend time with us. He doesn’t sleep or take breaks. He’s got it all under control 24/7 to infinity and beyond.
We don’t have to pray that He shows up—He never left us in the first place.
The purposeful journey
I realize that I am more focused on the destination instead of the journey, which is not God’s priority. I imagine myself in the backseat straining to look over God’s shoulder to make sure we’re going the fastest way possible, all the while asking, “Are we there yet?! Are we there yet?! Are we there yet?!” I’m thankful for his graciousness as a loving Father.
God is so purposeful in the journey. The destination is a done deal. He already knows what His masterpiece (that’s us!) will look like when complete.
He has purpose in the process, and that is what our life is about…how we deal with the process of his revelation (or brushstrokes) in our lives. How we continue to do the good works that he has before ordained that we should walk in…in the good, the bad and the ugly seasons.
