by Pastor Mark Shupe
Earlier this year I started a “Read Through the Bible in One Year” plan that to this point has taken me through Genesis and most of Exodus. Those two books of the Bible are filled with drama, dreams, deceit, promises, expectations, dynamics and dysfunctions of family life, and many amazing miracles. They are also filled with many life lessons that are applicable for us today.
First, through all of the unexpected twists and turns of the early pages of Scripture, one constant was the never-ending presence and provision of God. God went to great lengths to take care of His people – giving a promise of a bright future, reassurance that He would be their God and do battle on their behalf, providing food and water to millions of people even while they were making a long journey, and protecting them from famine, disease and threats of enemies. God was with and for His people and simply asked for their obedience to Him and the life-giving instructions He provided. The same holds true for His people today!
Second, God was totally in control of all the big moments of life. From the very first words recorded in Genesis 1, we see how God formed and populated the heavens and the earth, created and fashioned man after His own likeness, and made a provision for preserving life and His people even after mankind messed up His original plan. God promised the establishment of a great and mighty nation through the offspring of Abraham and then He intervened on many occasions to protect the fulfillment of that promise.
Perhaps Joseph, after being sold into slavery and pronounced dead by his brothers, living in a foreign land away from his family, being falsely accused of rape and imprisoned for something he did not do, captures best this idea of God’s sovereign control when he says later to his brothers: “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive” (Genesis 50:19-20). God is still in control of all life’s big moments, working behind the scenes, orchestrating and allowing events of life to bring about His ultimate good plan.
Finally, God is concerned about the small details of our lives. In reading through Exodus 25 -26, I was struck by the very detailed instructions God gave to the Israelites for the construction of the ark of the covenant and the tabernacle. God didn’t say just build Me something, He gave specific measurements and detailed descriptions for the design, materials and even color choices for what would be a place of worship for the Israelites.
It is easy for us today to think that God is too big or too busy to be concerned with the minute details of our lives. However, that is far from the truth. Take a moment and read Psalm 139 to be reminded of just how intricately God is involved in all the parts of your life. In so doing, give thanks to God for all the ways (seen and unseen) He has and continues to orchestrate His good plan for your life.
