Monday, July 12, 2010

Sovereignty in a Sunset

After a long, frustrating day at one job and a few more hours at the next, I pulled out of the parking lot, sun-setting, and the refrain, “O praise Him! He is holy!” pouring through the speakers. And in that moment, I was thankful for just how “other, set apart” and simply different than me God is.

My life isn’t all that difficult or hard, but I’m thankful for a God that is more than capable of holding the world together when I’m stressed out, who has a perfect plan for my life even when I’m confused, and who has more than enough mercy and grace for me in every situation. It’s like God purposely paints a beautiful sunset for us to see at the end of each day just to remind us that there’s a God who loves us and is in complete control.




No matter how bad our day seemed to be, or how out-of-control life seems to be, the sun still sets and it will rise again in the morning. There’s a beautiful consistency and sovereignty in that.

In the midst of this, it occurred to me that the Cross is kind of like Scripture’s sunset.

Even when God seemed to have lost control of His creation, when He seemed to be helpless and vulnerable as Jesus was beaten and crucified, and when for three days it seemed this whole Jesus “Christ” thing was all for nothing, there was more to the story. God ultimately was in control and brought order and beauty out of chaos and destruction.

At the end of the day, if God can cause the sun to set and to rise again, and if God can bring righteousness, hope, love and relationship out of a wooden cross and a few nails, He can probably manage my problems from today.

“In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world.”

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