August 31

“If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” —PSALM 139:9-10

We all long to live a life of substance, but in the grand scale of things, we are given such a brief time to do so. The book of James tells us our lives are like a vapour. It appears for a short while then disappears. So how do we make the most of the time we have? 

Many of us would think it wonderful to have some sort of spiritual GPS to map it out for us. “Go to this university and study these subjects. See that girl over there. Marry her. Get this job. Buy this home and live happily ever after.” That would take the guesswork out of everything, but God does not work that way. In the grand scale of things, there is a big picture, and it is not about our agendas, but God’s agenda. 

We can look at it this way. If we were on the hunt for a new job, the first question we would ask of the company is not, “What would you like me to do?” The first question would be, “What is the nature of the business?” Then having understood the nature of the business, ‘what would you like me to do’ makes sense in light of our capabilities, and becomes significant in the bigger role and purpose of the business. That is why the question, “What is the will of God for my life?”, while certainly valid, is not the best question to ask. It should be, “What is the will of God?”…period. What is the big picture of what God is doing, and how can I, as an individual, play a role?

We only discover God’s personal will for our lives when we understand the general will of God for the world. His plans for us play a key role, which furthers His agenda. As Christians, we are called to be partakers of God’s work in this world, and God Himself will assign each of us the role He has for us. We do not pull the strings. We do not orchestrate anything. We simply walk through the doors God opens and it will be a case of the right people at the right time for the right purpose. 

In our service to God, He has the big picture in mind, and so must we. Psalm 139:16 says, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” That is the wonder of being created and coming into this world. God already has a divine plan for us in which He promises His guiding hand.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank you for the privilege of being given a role for your agenda in this world. I can’t imagine a higher calling. 

TO REFLECT UPON: Am I walking through the doors God opens?