Where I live on the central coast of California the weather is moderate. We don’t experience a dramatic change between seasons of the year although autumn is usually the hottest time of year and winter the wettest. The other night a light rain fell softly as I woke from sleeping to get a drink of water. The sky flashed briefly. Initially I thought it was a car’s lights sweeping across my draped window as it drove by. But a moment later a mighty thunder clash confirmed it was lightning. What a strange phenomenon. Because light travels faster than sound we usually experience the impact of lightning in two phases—first the brilliant visual display, then the audible shockwave. But it is still a single event. I pondered how this is true other parts of our lives also. An event takes place, but we don’t fully realize its significance or benefit from its full impact, because we experience it in phases or facets.
God’s Revealing Restoration
Although God exists beyond the constraints of time, he utilizes time in the material world he has placed you to train and transform you. Sometimes you aren’t ready, other people aren’t ready, circumstances aren’t ready to understand, handle, or benefit from an event. So God allows you or causes you to experience just a glimpse of something, then over time he works with you through your faith to develop you to a culminating point where you can comprehend, appreciate, maximize, and share the divine power and purpose of that experience.
God does this with prophecy, promises, pain, and even prayer. At first you can only see part of his plan. Then later as you rely on him he reveals the rest. The apostle Paul wrote of God’s revealing strategy throughout a believer’s life. It is motivated by love and culminates in joyful, intimate unity with God, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Learn from this protracted process. God is always at work saving. He will accomplish his purposes. When it seems like nothing is happening or God is not responding it means he is not done yet. Don’t step away from God in disillusionment or discouragement. Don’t become frustrated. “Don’t become weary in doing good, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest if you do not give up” (Galatians 6:9). Fix your eyes on Jesus and step closer. Throw off any bad or even good thing that hinders you and run the race of faith marked out for you. Jesus is the author and perfecter of your faith (Hebrews 12:1-3). In Jesus all the promises of God are fulfilled (2 Corinthians 1:20). He will complete the process he has begun in each person who trusts and obeys him (Philippians 1:6).
Jesus Is the Reason
In fact, I’m convinced that Jesus is the overall purpose of all that we experience. Don’t waste your experiences looking solely at yourself. Your purpose in life is not to strive vainly to find self-fulfillment. No, true life is found in humbling yourself before God and letting him fill you with his everlasting life—the life of his Son. The apostle Paul explains why, “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn [preeminent] over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:15-20). God created humankind in his image to share the love he has between his triune nature of Father, Son, and Spirit. But tragically every person initially rejects God in favor of loving and serving themselves above him. So God sent Jesus to become a man, to live an exemplary righteous life, to sacrificially die the death that you and I deserve for our rebellious wrongdoing, and to rise again to give us victory over sin and death.
When Jesus died on the cross to save people from their sin, that was the lightning strike across all of human history. Jesus taught, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). The quality of your life, your impact on others, and your destiny all depend on what you do with Jesus. Will you reject him or accept him? To reap the benefit of Jesus’ atonement for you on the cross you must trust Jesus to save you. Then over time God will mature in you the purpose of Jesus’ sacrifice for you which is to glorify God by becoming like Jesus. When Jesus returns to consummate his kingdom, you will experience the thunder of his amazing ransom on Calvary, which is to become fully one with God joyfully loving and serving him as a part of his royal family throughout eternity.
Conclusion
Like a lightning strike, the death and resurrection of Jesus is one event from 2,000 years ago that still has a rippling effect now and will come to completion when he returns to earth to establish his righteous rule. God’s purpose is to bring everything under the headship of Jesus for whom and by whom all things were created (Ephesians 1:22). You can enter into that glorious purpose by trusting and obeying Jesus. Jesus promised, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:9-13). God gives his Spirit to those who place their faith in him so they can be one with Jesus—joining with Jesus, becoming like Jesus, and doing what he does. In fact, that is your whole purpose in life and the only pursuit that will fulfill you. Take time to ponder this. You can’t accomplish this by striving yourself, but rather by abiding in Jesus like a branch draws its life from the vine (John 15:1-8). I’m happy to answer any questions you have. You can reach me through the Contact page on the light runner.org website.
Like Paul did for the believers in Ephesus I pray the following for you, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way” (Ephesians 1:17-23).
Note: You might enjoy the hymn, “Yet Not I” by City Alight which speaks of the glorious oneness you can have in Jesus.