“You
thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what
you have done.” – Psalm 92:4
As you can imagine, buying
my very first computer was a red-letter day for me! Installing it in my office
at home elicited waves of joy in my heart as I sat before the blank screen.
Wondrous technological advances hid away in the incredible recesses of the
microchips dotting the motherboard. I tentatively pressed the blue button
marked in the manual as the on/off switch and the machine came to life! Sounds
of buzzing and whirring assured me that soon my fingers would create reams of
stories and anecdotes that would disclose the essence of my life with fellow
world-weary travelers.
I love to write. I find such
peace and fulfillment in stitching with words the tapestry of some segment of
my existence to share with others. I write all the time. I used to keep a stack
of journals with carefully penned accounts of my day-to-day experiences. Now I
had an assistant, the incredible mechanical device perched solidly in the
middle of my desk.
Working for hours, heedless
of the cramping in my back, I finally finished a treatise that I knew would
change the world. I paused for a moment with my finger hovering over the mouse,
whose cursor sat poised above the print key. I relished the beauty of the typed
letters on the screen and thanked God for the finances to purchase this
magnificent literary instrument.
As I pressed the “print”
command, I hovered over the printer watching the paper descend into the tray
below. The first line came into view and I realized something was terribly
wrong! My work was coming out in a puzzle of letters that looked something like
this:
A Th ou spo k s p a n be f d e
For b
k d 0
E k
ll k
Sitting in utter horror and despair, I heard God whisper to my spirit. His words produced a score of tiny giggles bubbling up from my soul. He said, “Even machines have bad days!”
Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha! What a profound
idea! We get so upset when things do not work out according to our carefully staged
schedule and plans. We devise such great dreams, strategies, campaigns and
goals, only to find them crumble at our feet before they ever get off the
ground. We labor in vain to craft our place in the world and to carve our mark
on society. We live stressed out lives when all God wants from us is to dwell
in simplicity and faith. We scrimp and scrape and work and save to guarantee us
an exalted place in our world. Why?
The
difference between our stratagem and the Lord’s plans is that His works stand
firm forever (Psalm 33:11). God is infinitely
wise, powerful, eternal and excellent in all of His ways. The planetary orbits
remain symmetrical. The balance of nature provides the propagation of all
species. The cycle of winter and summer, springtime and harvest mingle together
in precision. The most remarkable feat in God’s repertoire is that His wonderful deeds include
each one of us (1 Corinthians 1:27; Psalm 136:12; Genesis 21:33; Psalm 8:1;
Psalm
66:5).
God draws the hearts of
mankind to Himself. He causes us to realize our need for Him in our life. He
delights in blessing His Church, which He created as a bride for His Son. He has plans to prosper us,
to protect us from harm and to give us hope and a future (Jeremiah
29:11). Job
declared that God performs wonders, which we cannot even fathom, as well as so
many miracles that we actually lose count of them (Job 5:9). God’s greatest work sent
Jesus to die for the sins of the whole world, so that whoever believes on Him
will have everlasting life (John 3:16).
Prayer:
Many,
O Lord, my God, are the wonders You perform. The things you planned for us, no
one can recount to You. If I were to speak about them, they would be too many
to relate (Psalm 40:5). You make me glad by your deeds, and I sing for joy at the
works of Your hands. (Psalm 92:4) I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully
made. I know that without a doubt Your works are astonishing (Psalm 139:14).
Lord, teach us
to trust in You; and when our faith fails, teach us to believe, while You help
our unbelief (Mark 9:24).
Thought
for the Day:
Is anything too hard for the Lord? – Genesis 18:14