Such A Time as This

Joseph was 17 when God gave him a dream.  Decades and lots of drama later, his dream came true.  As best as I can tell, Abraham was 85 years old when God told Abraham that his descendents would be slaves for 400 years.  When Abraham was 100 years old, his son, Isaac was born.

The prophets of the Old Testament predicted that a Messiah was coming.  Centuries later when Herod asked the religious scholars the whereabouts of this Messiah, the scholars pointed to Micah, who prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.  Paul later commented, “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son…” (Galatians 4:4)

When I read Scripture, it’s hard not to miss the sovereignty of God.  When I look at how the lives of the people of God unfolded, I ask myself, “Is this a coincidence or is this divinely orchestrated?”  This is the bottom line question; it comes down to the Sovereignty of God.

Even as I ponder life and the very details of life, I ask myself, “Is this accidental or is this deliberate?”  The answer to this question is thought provoking and it invites me to ask a few more questions.  First, “If life is an accident, then does it matter what I do?”  And second, “If life is not an accident, what is its purpose” and ultimately, “What is my purpose?”

God answered this question for Jeremiah.  God told Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appoint you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

Later on, God answers that question for the Israelites.  Through Jeremiah, God said, “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart…and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”  (Jeremiah 29:11-14)

Scripture continually convinces me of the sovereignty of God.  This is why I look at the pandemic that our world is facing and contemplate the words of Mordecai to Esther, “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

If nothing else, I am reminded that our “history,” as we know it is coming to an end.  As the Old Testament points to the Messiah to come, I hear the New Testament writers crying out, “Jesus is coming back!”

My search for purpose is answered with the question, “Am I looking for Him?”