Thought for Today
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,
Psalm 66:5 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.
Luke 3:23 Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his work. He was the son (as was thought) of Joseph son of Heli,
Acts 2:22 "You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know-- 23 this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law.
Luke’s phrase “according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” caught my attention. I make plans as do most folks. Planning is a tool that enables us to be efficient and to accomplish things. However, planning can be challenging, even daunting. How do we plan for the unknown, for the unanticipated? How can we plan when we don’t know what the future will bring?
Many of us plan one thing when we are young, and then we find that circumstances change, other things intervene. Are you living the life now that you planned when you were young? Are you a doctor, lawyer, nurse, or professional athlete as you thought you would be and announced to everyone who would listen?
The world in which I find myself today is not the world in which I dreamed and planned when I was young. Yesterday, I wrote about perspectives. Since I dreamed about the future and made my plans as a youth, the world in which I lived then has moved on. The world of the 21st century evolved (devolved?) from the 20th century. In my youth, no one planned to be a computer scientist or an astronaut. Only late in the 20th century were cellular phones invented.
I was approaching retirement from my career as an engineer before I heard God’s call to ministry. In my youth, I never dreamed, imagined, much less planned for ministry. Are you living the life now that you planned when you were young? I’m not. And, that’s a good thing.
Have you ever wondered about Jesus’ youth? Did Jesus plan to grow up to be a carpenter like Joseph? Did Jesus apprentice as a carpenter in the family business? At the point Luke mentions, “Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his work,” Jesus would have been approaching middle age. Did Jesus dream, imagine and plan for the life of an itinerant rabbi? I wonder whether we see hints of that in the story in Luke 2:42-49 of Jesus’ visit to Jerusalem when he was 12. Does "2:49 Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" imply that Jesus did in fact dream, imagine and plan for messiahship?
I was raised in a home filled with faith. I cannot remember a time before I heard the Bible read and discussed. I have been reading the Bible for 75+ years. I still find Genesis 1:1 a verse filled with deep wonder and theological intensity. I still wonder whether at that point God had a detailed plan for all that was to follow. I believe he did. I believe we are living within that plan.
I cannot imagine the detail, the complexity of God’s plan. Think about everything you know about history. Think of everything you know or have heard about astronomy, paleontology, geology and all of the other sciences. Realize that all of that knowledge is only a small part of God’s plan. Stand in awe of our Creator God.
Much attention is focused today on S.T.E.M. One of the most basic elements of science, technology, engineering and mathematics is the repeatable consistency of it all. Every time we add 2+2, we get the same answer. Every morning, the sun rises in the east. Every time we mix an acid and a base, we get water and a salt. Every time! That is just one, small element of God’s plan!
Your life, my life, the lives of all around us are integral elements of God’s plan. Maybe most importantly is the question of the psalmist, “8:3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; 4 what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? 5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.” And, the answer to that question is John 3:16.
Stay safe, abide in God’s plan, trust God,
Pastor Ray