Skip to main content

Concerto

             Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. (Isaiah 25:1)

Isaiah lived in the eighth century BC, almost 3000 years ago. As I read this passage this morning, the part that stood out to me was “things planned long ago.” It’s embarrassing, but I found myself thinking, “Wait, they had that concept way back then?” Yes, and David lived six hundred years before Isaiah, and Adam and Eve long before David, and there are at least hints of a plan going all the way back to Genesis 3.

I was going to confess to temporal snobbery, and that might be there, but the positive side of it is that this morning, I’m once again impressed with God’s action through time, His involvement with people, His wisdom, His power, and – oddly – His proximity.

He has done wonderful things and continues to do wonderful things. Those wonderful things might not be things we enjoy or approve, but they inspire wonder. I’ve heard rumors of wonderful things happening in Russia’s attack on the Ukraine. I’m not approving of Russia’s actions, and I don’t know if the miraculous events are true, but I’ve heard rumors.  God is in control even there.

For all some people complain about the current administration in the US (and I’m not fond of it), those who think it is wrong are getting up and being active – not sleepwalking as they tended to do when they agreed with the administration. And God is in control. We don’t understand. We don’t approve. All we can do is stand and watch, and see what God does next.

And I find myself saying, “I want to see. Let me see!” I so want to behold His wonder, but I don’t understand what I’m looking at. I can only see through a glass darkly. And now I’m on the verge of tears because when I got up this morning, my earworm was singing, “Open My Eyes, Lord, I Want To See Jesus.”

And three thousand years later, Isaiah reminds us that we are part of God’s plan. We’re in the orchestra, and we’re playing a concerto. That means there’s a director (the Father) and a soloist (Jesus) but that we all have a part to play. If we weren’t here, the concerto would be fine, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t contribute. The concerto focuses on the soloist, but if only the soloist played, it wouldn’t be a concerto. We are part of the composition, and it’s not only natural for us to marvel at the soloist, but also to be eager to play a part that matters, that was written for us.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen To Him

              The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him . (Deuteronomy 18:15)           Today, we switch from Jesus’ claims of “I am” to prophecies made about Him. My Bible platform is starting in Deuteronomy. I’d start in Genesis, where we would learn that the one who would save us would be a descendant of Eve (Genesis 3:15), of Noah (by default), Abram and Sara(Genesis 12:1-3). Isaac (Genesis 17:19), Jacob (Genesis 25:23), Judah (Genesis 29:8), and David (II Samuel 7:12-16). There were also references to a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-32). In addition, there were prophecies about when and where the prophet/Messiah would be born and what would happen to him.           Of course, naysayers will claim that Jesus’ life was retrofitted or reverse enginee...
Post a Comment
Read more