Garry used the analogy of Google maps last night to remind us that God is both capable of looking after the ‘bigger picture’ and also looking after the fine detail of our lives.
On Google maps, we can look at the world in many different ways. We can zoom out and see whole countries. We can zoom in and see a town in connection to another town in order to look at the roads on which we must travel, so that we can plan the most effective route from A to B. We can zoom in even further and see the actual streets in a town and can ‘walk’ along those streets to see the landmarks, shops and signs we will actually encounter if we visit that street. Such detail can be incredibly useful when visiting unfamiliar places as a means of orientation before we arrive.
God is in total control of our world. Our God reigns (Rev 19:6, Ps 47:8, 1 Chron 16:31, Ps 93:1). We usually only really realise this with hindsight, when we look back on history and see how God has orchestrated events. So often, our view of the world is shaped by the media. We watch the news and see stories of desperation, war, famine and murder. We wonder at times why God allows despots to rise up and totalitarian regimes to flourish; we weep with those who weep and can feel extremely frustrated with and bewildered by God. Nonetheless, the Bible states clearly and firmly that God is in control. We may well never understand what God is doing in history, but we can trust that He is indeed working all things out according to His plans and purposes, which are ultimately for good.
‘Over our hopes; over our fears
God, you are over all
Over our joy; over our tears
God, you are over all
Great in power,
Exalted and lifted high
God, you will reign forever,
Forever we will glorify
God over all,
God over all
Over the earth; over the sky
God, you are over all
Over the dark; over the light
God, you are over all.
Whatever may come in this life
God, you are over all.’ (‘Over All’, Phil Wickham)
God is also in total control of our lives, knowing everything about us and working in every situation for our good. (Ps 139:1-6, Rom 8:28-29) Again, we are often bewildered by the things He allows into our lives: grief, sorrow, pain, illness, disappointment, rejection, abandonment by friends and family. We may well never understand why we have to go through some of the things we go through, but the Bible is adamant that God is for us (Rom 8:31) and that we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. (Rom 8:37) Because of this, we can have confidence in our daily lives, for God cares about the hairs on our head and knows our every need. (Matt 6:25-34) We have a loving Father whose forgiveness, mercy and goodness extend to the ‘little things’ as well as the ‘big picture.’ Whether we zoom in or out of the detail of our lives, we will find God present in every detail.