His Foreordained Mess
The house was a mess. There were toys everywhere. It looked like some sort of explosion that involved Legos, toy food, stuffed animals, and books had erupted and then trickled down the hallways and into other rooms. It was loud, the kids were running around with an abundance of energy that could only come from some sort of evil spell, also known as sugar. I quickly found my “mom voice” and used it in the loudest volume I could go, “CLEAN UP! LET’S GO!” My daughter, who is three, promptly put her hand on her hip and said, “I’m a princess and you’re not in charge of me.” To which I quickly relayed to her, “My darling, you may be the princess of this household, but I am the queen, and what I say goes. Clean up. Now.” Needless to say, she wasn’t too thrilled with my response, but she obeyed nonetheless.
As we continue through Romans 8 this year as a ministry and as friends, we’ve discussed a lot of theological points that are key to walking this life with Jesus. And there are few more intensely discussed than Romans 8:29. I like the way the Message translation lays this out because it makes it easier for my small mind to grasp an aspect of an infinite God:
“God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.”
It’s a hard point for my very tiny, finite mind to grasp the infinity and big-ness of God. And it’s an even more difficult thing to read, “God knew what he was doing from the very beginning,” when there are a lot of hard and bad things happening in the world. As I pen these words, Las Vegas, my home, is in the midst of shock and anger due to the horrific shooting that took place just a few days ago. So, how can I read those words at the beginning of this verse and not think of really big questions, like, “Why God? If you knew what you were doing from the beginning, why this?”
That’s a really big question, and thankfully our God is really big to handle big and hard questions. When I go back and re-read Romans 8 to gather the context of this particular verse, a large chunk of the chapter is talking about difficult times and telling us that they are going to come. And then the chapter wraps up with a comfort that can only come from Jesus: “he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.” Wow. Jesus stays with us through the mess, making us glorious. Can we say, “Amen!”?
To relate it to my life, I know that my children are going to make gigantic messes. They are little. They like to play and I know that the mess is going to have to be cleaned up. Isn’t that just like us? God knew we were going to make a mess of things. And He has a method for cleaning it all up. And because He is the one in charge, He is the one who gets to set the standard for the clean up. It’s just like me setting the standard in my home, knowing which one of my children is going to obey and which one I am going to have to struggle with to put one toy away; God, as our Father, knows which hearts will agree to the standard of accepting Jesus, and which ones won’t.
God is the authority and He is a good father. He knew we were going to make a gigantic mess in this world, and unfortunately the messes involve little things like littering and horrific things like murder. And while my mind can never grasp this concept in it’s entirety, God knew. And He has provided a way to clean up the mess in this world, and the messes in our lives. Just like I am the “queen of my house hold” and what I say goes, the true reality is that God is King of the Universe and what He says goes.
Are you ready to clean up the mess? To acknowledge that God knows you and wants a relationship with you? Are you ready to accept Him as the authority? He has known you since the before time and desires to have a relationship with you. He loves you. How are you going to respond?
If you have questions or need prayer, please reach out to the leadership team with Ignite Life. If you feel that thing in your chest and these words are ringing in your mind and emotions, that may be the Holy Spirit getting your attention. If that is the case, here is a prayer that you can say to start responding to The One who knows and loves your soul:
“Heavenly Father, I’m thankful that You have known me since the before time existed, even though my mind cannot wrap around that You are that big and infinite. Help me to surrender. Help me to understand your love and what Jesus has done for me. I need you.”
May you be blessed in your continual journey of knowing that God knew you. May the weight from your shoulders begin to lift as you begin to walk in relationship with Jesus as the mess starts to get cleaned up.
Megan Sinisi is one of our Refres{her} bloggers. She describes herself as a 30-something year old lady who is still figuring out who the heck she is and sometimes worries she is just crazy. Megan is a most of the time stay at home mom of 3 precious little “tyrants” whom she loves more than her own breathe and wife to an amazing husband. She absolutely adores a good cup of coffee, chocolate and peanut butter combinations, coloring, being crafty, figuring out homeschooling her children, being silly and laughing with her husband, and chatting with friends about embarrassing moments and deep things at the same time. She has a love and fervor for writing and is walking in faith that God is calling her to use the passion and the gift He has given her. She hopes that her journey encourages, challenges, inspires, comforts, and most importantly, shines the light of Jesus and the reality of His love, grace, and mercy. More writings can be found on Megan's blog at: https://myrenderingheart.wordpress.com/