Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths.—Psalm 25:4
The students were chatty that September morning, as we rode
the school bus en route to a local college.
I couldn’t blame them. It was a
beautiful morn, and I was excited too. Just a handful of my high school
students had been selected to participate in a poetry workshop directed by a
college professor. All of us hoped to
hone our budding talents, myself included.
I peered out the window at the disappearing landscape and
caught glimpse of a strange sight. Translucent
films appearing to hang in mid-air! A
stop at a traffic light allowed me to closely examine the curious sight. What I thought was hanging in mid-air, I soon
discovered, was actually suspended from power lines—spider webs! Dozens of them! Why
have I never noticed this before? I wondered. And then I realized that morning mist clung
to the strands, reflecting the sunlight, and only because of that was I able to
see those glorious intricate designs.
Those magnificent webs didn’t happen by chance. According to How Stuff Works, “an orb-spinning spider puts its elegant traps
together pretty quickly, proceeding easily from step to step according to the
instruction manual preprogrammed into its brain.”
God is the programmer,
the master designer, and the engineer. “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that
has been made.”—John 1:3
Just as God has programmed the spider with
web-spinning ability, so has He programmed each of us with various abilities
and talents—all part of His master plan.
According to Revelation 4:11, God has created each of us for a
purpose. “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor
and power; for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are, and
were created.”—Revelation 4:11
Yes, we were created for a purpose—His
pleasure—but also with a purpose.
According to Jeremiah 29:11, the Lord has plans for you, “plans to prosper you and not to harm
you, plans to give you hope and
a future.”
The spider moves mechanically to weave his
web. He never questions whether he
should do it. He just does. But we,
humans, well…we’re a different creature.
We get caught up in so many things—webs of our own making—that sometimes
we never truly reach our full potential.
We question, we wonder. How do I really know what God wants me to
do?
According to Micah 6:8, “He has shown you,
O mortal, what is good. And what does
the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with
your God.”
God wants an intimate relationship with
us. He wants us to walk with Him
daily. He is light (1 John 1:5), and if
we have fellowship with Him, we walk in the light—the light that illumines our
way.
Like the sunlight which illumined the
spider’s webs, God’s light will reveal His divine design for our lives. We won’t question. We’ll know.
And we’ll just do it. Poetry in
motion.
Dear
Lord, Thank You for creating me for a purpose.
I want to please You at all times.
I trust You to show me Your way as I walk with You. Amen.
Desiree,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on another excellent, insightful, and thought provoking message. Once again you’ve weaved God’s Word with one of life’s often unseen yet beautiful wonders and given us a lot to think about.
You make an excellent point when you say we get caught up in our own webs of our making and I believe you’ve given us the answer as to why that is. I agree with you that God does want an intimate relationship with us and the way to do that is to walk with Him daily. Therein lies the reason we get tangled in our own webs—we don’t walk with Him daily.
If we’re walking with Him daily would there ever be a need to ask the question How do I really know what God wants me to do? Wouldn’t we know and, just as importantly, remember His plans are to prosper us and not to harm us; that He does have a purpose for us? I believe we would.
I agree with you that if we are walking with Him daily His light will shine on us, in us, and His divine design for us will be evident to us so we do act accordingly. We’ll know His purpose for us and we won’t question and we’ll just do it. After all, “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32)
Once again Desiree, excellent message!!! You’ve given us a lot to ponder and, hopefully, to remember. I look forward to next week’s reflections. You always manage to write so beautifully with so much depth and an astute use of God’s Word.
Jim
Thank you, Jim, for that thoughtful response. I truly appreciate hearing from my audience.
ReplyDeleteHey Desiree-I believe the gentleman above said pretty much what was running thru my mind; however, he said it much better than I could! It is wonderful having something insightful to look forward to every week. Your writings give me ideas to ponder, ones that make my mind work. You know my circumstances, and your words help me understand the words of God, while at the same time, giving my thoughts a rest from the less pleasant part of my thoughts. This particular one, makes me want to sit in my rocker on the front porch, with a slight breeze blowing and listen to the
ReplyDeleteSpoken Word on my phone! Once again, I hope my words mean something and I know yours will inspire many others! love, pam pam
Thank you, Desiree, for another beautiful commentary. I appreciate the reminder about the Lord's leading. It's so easy for us to get caught up in our own plans, then ask ourselves later, "Did the Lord really want us to do this?"
ReplyDeleteWe should all be thankful for His patience, mercy, and kindness. May each of us take time daily to be still and know that He is God. Only then, in that stillness, "Your ears will hear a word behind you, 'This is the way, walk in it,' whenever you turn to the right or to the left (Isaiah 30:21)."
P.S. Your mention of Revelation 4:11 reminded me of a scene from "Chariots of Fire." This movie chronicles the lives of two members of the 1924 British Olympic Team, Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell. Liddell was the son of missionaries to China and was the holder of many British sprinting records. He was encouraged by his father to "run in God's name and let the world stand up and notice."
ReplyDeleteEric Liddell received international attention by refusing to participate in the 100 meter heats, which were held on a Sunday. Instead, he ran in the 400 meters, earning a gold medal and setting a world record.
When telling his sister, Jennie, of his acceptance by the London Missionary Society, he said the following words: "I believe God made me for a purpose, for China. But He also made me FAST! And when I run, I feel His pleasure." He truly understood what it meant to be created for the pleasure and glory of God.
Desiree,
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy reading your blog. You definitely have a gift for writing. So many times I find myself coming back and rereading your entries. I have shared your piece about the peacock with many of my colleagues at work and have encouraged them to sign up to receive your updates.
Keep on writing Desiree! I look forward to the next entry.
Gloria