God's Storyline

            God plus one is always a majority.  Doesn’t that just sound so cliché?  A cute little saying that is nice to remind ourselves when life is good but seemingly impossible to embrace when challenge comes our way?  I would be tempted to write it off as sentimental wishful thinking by someone who has never been in a real battle…if it wasn’t what the Bible kept telling me was true.

            Here is a consistent storyline front to back I find in the book: 

GOD:  Hey you.

Unsuspecting Person (UP):  Who me?

GOD:  Yeah, you.

UP:  Can I help you?

GOD:  Glad you asked.  Actually, it is the other way around.  I’m going to help you.

UP:  Help me?  Help me do what?

GOD:  Again, glad you asked.  I’ve got something absolutely impossible for you to accomplish.  You’re going to talk to people more powerful than you, fight armies bigger than you, go to places absolutely foreign to you.  You will be stretched, challenged, fearful, persecuted, misunderstood, courageous, cowardly, hopeful, despairing, thrilled, chagrined.  But you will surely be victorious.  People are going to see my glory because of what you are going to do.

UP:  Uh, I know you are God, but really, I think you have me mixed up with someone else.  I’m really not the person for the job.

GOD:  No, no mistake on my part.  You’re the one.

UP:  No Sir.  I’m too small, too old, too young, too much a woman, too much a man, too rich, too poor, too strong, too weak, too dumb, too smart, too foreign, too weird, too normal.  Yep, you definitely have the wrong person.

GOD:  I know you don’t think you are supposed to do this, but go ahead – test me.  I’ll confirm it.  I think I’m up to the challenge.

UP:  If I test you, you will kill me.  Not gonna do it.

Check out Judges 6-7 in the Bible.

GOD:  What?  Like it is a sign of lack of faith?  What are you so eloquently communicating now?  Radical trust that I know what I’m doing?  I don’t think so.  Go ahead.  Test me.  I’ve put my lightening bolts away for the day.  I was getting a little bored with that technique anyway.

UP:  (Various and random tests to try and figure out if this is from God are done and disbelieved until resignation sets in.)

UP:  OK, OK God.  I’m in – but don’t expect me to like it.

GOD:  More than you could ever dream.  Obedience is almost always hard but it is ultimately always good.  You will be blessed, encouraged, strengthened, given wisdom, divinely led, overcome obstacles, persevere, find hope.  This is going to be good.  I’m God.  I know what I’m doing.  Trust me.

We’re ordinary people.  God’s storyline is to invite us to partner with the Extraordinary One to see the extraordinary happen.  There is a personal invitation addressed specifically to you from God.  It might be an invitation to change a community or a country.  It might be an invitation to change the life of a family or a person.  Each is no less extraordinary.  It’s what God does.  It’s the way he works.  When are you going to ask what your assignment is?  When are you going to say yes?

Peace and grace,

David