Some things just seem obvious, right? Well, at least they should, right? But have you ever had the occasion when the obvious was starring you right in the face all along, it’s been obvious all along? You’ve even acted the obvious, lived the obvious, centered your life around the obvious and then the obvious became obviouser (yes, that’s a new word)? Here’s what I mean.
I do the Youversion study each morning — Verse of the Day, Guided Scripture, Guided Prayer — this is a fantastic way to start meeting with God when you don’t know how to go about doing that, or even when you do. Anyway, more often than not, what starts as a two minute read ends up setting the tone for the day, cueing me and coming to mind over and over and over throughout the day. In fact, sometimes, I don’t even realize how deeply His Word applies to my life until I stop and think about it. Stop and be still, stop and look, stop and listen. When I do, when I surrender my thoughts, my ideas, my endless mind chatter and lip chatter, He speaks — every time. If you want to hear the Holy Spirit speaking to you, to do what He came to do, guide, direct, comfort, aid, advocate, counsel, petition, carry, heal — all those things and many more things, it is all done through the Word of God — you have to get into the Word.
Ok. Sorry, off that tangent and back to the obviouser. So as I was moving throughout the scriptures yesterday, Psalm 90:2, was pointed out:
Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the world, from beginning to end, you are God.
Sometimes I read a verse like that and say how nice, that’s great, I like it, it’s good. You know, sometimes I rush through and move on. I don’t always stop and think, I’m on to the next. But, I’m coming to realize that the Word of God is something to sit in. Even what I (in my wrongness) would deem not as significant as another part of the Word, every single word of the Word is in the Word for a reason. In case we haven’t noticed, our God is not a frivolous God — He doesn’t speak needlessly. Every Word is important, whether I think so, or not. His Words are not weighted. One is not more important than another. All carry the same weight, the same importance, the same power.
Sorry, I keep digressing. Obviouser. So I sat in Psalm 90:2 for a couple of hours intensely, and then I carried it with me throughout my day, reminding me of the obvious over and over again. Here’s how it went:
From the beginning to end, You are God. From the beginning to end, You are God. From beginning to end, you are God! You are God, I am not! You are God, I am not! You are God, I am not! You are God. You are God. You are God!
I know, it seems quite odd, but I wrote those words out, I repeated them over and over until they became obviouser to me. He is God and I am not. I live like I am most of the time. You know, getting all dragged down into the details of life (you know who they say is in the details), the distractions of life’s circumstances. The how, when, where, what of things. I try to work out the details and then tell God how I’d like things to go. Don’t act surprised, I’m sure you have too! I come up with solutions to every life problem and make suggestions to the Lord. In fact, sometimes my if/then solutions are quite elaborate and frankly, some of them aren’t terrible ideas. The problem is that because He is God and I am not, I do not see the big picture. I do not see what He sees. I do not know the plans He has for me. When I act like I do, shamefully quite often, those details become distractions. The planning of the details, the solutions, become busyness in my mind completely distracting me and causing me to focus on the wrong thing. Myself. He is God.
You see, there can only be one in charge. God or me. When I run through the scenarios of life in my mind, plan, scheme and suggest them to God (ahem) or brazenly just tell myself I know what’s best, God is not in control, I am. Oh sure, I can say that God is in control, but my thoughts, actions and words are a reflection of what I believe. I am God, He is not.
In every season of our life, God is good. He is God. He is in control. He loves us in every season of our life. He is God. He is sovereign over all our circumstances. Not one thing happens in this world, not one thing, that God does not cause or allow. Every circumstance, every situation in my life, in your life, in the lives of every person on this earth. He is God, I am not.
So next time we start solving our own problems which we cannot solve anyway, they are God problems, why don’t we just think on this verse. The Creator of the heavens and the earth, of you, of me, of all good things, is God. Let’s ask Him how to work that reality out in our lives. We are givers and takers. We give Him control, we take it back. For me, this happens hundreds of times a day.
Thank you, Holy Spirit, for the Word of God. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for speaking this Word into that deep part of my soul. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for teaching me the obviouser, that He is God, I am not. Show me what that means in my life. Show me how to work that out. Show me how to live that out. Work in us to change, transform, encourage us, hold us, carry us. He is God, I am not. Spirit help my unbelief. You are God! I am not! Hallelujah, what a Savior!