Sunday, December 7, 2008

Insignificance.

Well it has been a pretty full on week and a bit (9 days)

Arriving in Sydney to go down to Canberra a few days later for what I like to call SPRTE or what will be referred to by me as 'sprite.' This involved in depth bible study of the passage Romans 3:21-26 which my sum up is "its one of those passages that you think are self explanatory yet once one door of insight opens regarding it seems the door leads down and endless path of theological, philosophical densely packed information, with a cross breed of cross references." Swell as amazing talks (once again theologically packed and completely biblical based) then add a handful of a thousand or more brothers and sisters in Christ with which to meet and befriend, stir well. Leave you "wanting a break, not from physical tiresome but mental overload of information" and serve with hot Canberra sun, with a side of flies everywhere you go. This was closely followed by a mission trip to the central coast which meant involvement with the 'Lakes Evangelical Church' which with a heafty dessert course of serving leaves you set and ready to hit the sack.

That’s the short way of explaining it; my general more understandable version is that it was Theoretical followed by Practical in regards to serving and beginning ministry.

Now as for my title, I have had a few small 'God moments' throughout this 9-day period but one of the most vivid is precisely about our insignificance. There came a moment to where I mentally removed myself from the context I was in, the surroundings and specific details are irrelevant however I was very much still physically present. I felt as if I was somehow seeing everything around me from a third person perspective, now you're probably thinking, "well of course you were!" but I mean from a different standing point than the obvious. It came to me that all we do, the people we meet, the person we are becoming everyday, all that we live for and all that we think we know. Is insignificant. I would usually go on to explain that with God in your life however it is significant but you merely need to take a look at Ecclesiastes in the bible to argue otherwise. Now to most reading right now this will be very upsetting, maybe even (hopefully) a little bit daunting, because what this means is that all are efforts are for nothing and that is completely true. Even living a Christian life we (the thinkers of our generation) are constantly faced with "well even if I pray, every word is predestined by God, Even though I am called to 'go out into all the nations' it is still God that saves, even though we strive to be better person, God has already seen all our failings and all our success." This Revelation given to me was not one of a depressing state but more of a complete humbling of my soul, for amongst all these thoughts we can very much lose ourselves in despair and loss of motivation but for me it was finally the reverse, I felt more of a refreshing inspiration as God gently humbled to me just how Uncontainable he really is. This is reiterated to us in the DVD "Indescribable" from Louie Giglio which shows us a fleeting glimpse of how the small knowledge we have our infinitely puzzling universe we are but a spec of dust on the very fingertip of God himself, in fact to scale that spec would be our planet in fact we are so small in scale to the size of God that we truly are insignificant.

The amazing thing truly is that despite our complete worthlessness, despite how little we actually mean, despite our insignificance of which we could never truly understand God still wants to be with us, I feel absolutely privileged that a God so big would care to show me but a glimpse of his wonder by giving me a personal revelation from the him, the creator of all. One way in which I can begin to glimpse his power and wonder is that scientists guess that in our universe (of which we know no limits to yet) a new star is born every second, and in the bible it states that God knows each star by name, that alone alongside the beauty of creation, and alongside the personal relationship he establishes with each and every one of us makes me feel so incredibly humbled that it truly in indescribable, Words are but a spec of floating dust in the desert of what he is worthy of. I say it all the time and even these words that are carefully strung into a sentence do not come but a fraction close (in my understanding) in describing the absolute awe that God leaves me with every single time I try to understand who he is.

"A lifetime of worship and study into your character could barely give us a glimpse of your magnitude, of your limitless expanse and wonder"

That has been my prayer many a time, and I can only add to that prayer that it may be yours also.

"Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling"

We serve an incredible God.

May he soften your heart, and open your eyes and ears as he humbles your soul to his absolute sovereignty.

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