Sunday, February 13, 2005
Meaning in History
This idea probably came from Edith Schaeffer and L'Abri? By the way, there is a Jubilee celebration coming up in March for the L'Abri founding. Check out www.worldmagblog.com. It's been so long since I read her writing, I can't say for sure. I wrote this awhile ago. Prophecy from God, telling the future, messages from the past. There is a thread throughout the Bible, like a strand of gold, making the tapestry unified and refined. In the center is the Lamb, Jesus. All the golden thread leads to the Savior. Often it is said, “What about now, God in the present?” If I were an unbeliever, I would listen to what God did for you. I would politely say, “That’s nice.” I could tell you about God working little and big miracles in my life. But really, for most of us, our lives are small and can even seem insignificant. We can turn to famous missionaries, church fathers and reformers from the past. We even have current miracle stories: Cassie Bernall (Columbine) was a bold witness under threat of death, and the two women trapped in Afghanistan who were released from Taliban captors, like Daniel, unscathed. There are “clouds of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1) to the reality of God’s sovereignty and I’m not saying they’re irrelevant. But someone who knows nothing of God personally will often brush it off with, “That was then. This is now” or “That’s them but God isn’t real to me; I don’t think He notices me.”
God is revealed in nature and His personality can be detected in His people, but there is so much more to be seen. Biblical prophecy encompasses all of history and all of mankind. God reveals Himself to any who will hear through His Word…the revelation of His Plan…His Promises. Sometimes the story is vaguely, symbolically, or indirectly related to Messiah. The golden thread goes behind the picture for a time, only visible from the back, but no less connected. Those are the ones we simply pass over and assume to be less significant. But as you reread the Bible or look into it more deeply with a good commentary, the tapestry can be seen in all its golden glory. I’ll never forget having Genesis 3:15 pointed out to me. It’s a Messianic prophecy?! I remember thinking, “How could something this important never be made available in all those years of church and Sunday school (and I even had a perfect attendance pin!)?”
God comes alive in much bigger ways when we understand the whole story. Jehovah is Huge…go to Yosemite or the Grand Canyon and there is an inkling of our awesome God. They are gifted to us so we might catch a glimpse of Him. Yes, He is in a fall colored leaf and a butterfly too; the everyday miracles are His gifts to us. But God means for us to grasp His Almighty, so-big-it’s-hard-to-fathom Bigness in All of History.
God is revealed in nature and His personality can be detected in His people, but there is so much more to be seen. Biblical prophecy encompasses all of history and all of mankind. God reveals Himself to any who will hear through His Word…the revelation of His Plan…His Promises. Sometimes the story is vaguely, symbolically, or indirectly related to Messiah. The golden thread goes behind the picture for a time, only visible from the back, but no less connected. Those are the ones we simply pass over and assume to be less significant. But as you reread the Bible or look into it more deeply with a good commentary, the tapestry can be seen in all its golden glory. I’ll never forget having Genesis 3:15 pointed out to me. It’s a Messianic prophecy?! I remember thinking, “How could something this important never be made available in all those years of church and Sunday school (and I even had a perfect attendance pin!)?”
God comes alive in much bigger ways when we understand the whole story. Jehovah is Huge…go to Yosemite or the Grand Canyon and there is an inkling of our awesome God. They are gifted to us so we might catch a glimpse of Him. Yes, He is in a fall colored leaf and a butterfly too; the everyday miracles are His gifts to us. But God means for us to grasp His Almighty, so-big-it’s-hard-to-fathom Bigness in All of History.
