A beloved family member did not qualify through in a selection process for a job even after all the hard work and dedication he’d put in. I felt his disappointment deeply.
During such occasions, I would uphold my loved ones in prayer, plead with ABBA to give them strength as they run the race, to help them soar, to give them favour; but my constant meditation, my non-stop pleading did not bring the desired results.
To sum up, my prayer would be:
“God, please show up. Please show up. Show up, please”.
But there was disappointment. And what a defeating feeling it is!
Personally, I have faced disappointments many times in life. After all those early mornings at the school basketball practices, I ended up only as a substitute player. I had participated in several elocution contests without making it to the 1st, 2nd or 3rd place. I had burnt the midnight oil in preparation for the GMAT entrance exams but all my efforts came to naught. Everything seemed pointless. My prayers were remained unanswered. God did not show up.
We especially expect God to show up in important events in our lives. But when we don’t get the results we anticipate, we often conclude that God is not interested. It is not HIS will. HE is aloof. HE is not there with us and hence the disappointing outcome.
Oh how we deceive ourselves with these thoughts!
Now as an adult with a better comprehension of who God is, I hear HIM say, “No, Coretta. This is my party. I invited you. You need to show up”.
Wait... what??
Pondering on that, realization dawns...
My life has a story with one HERO in it – God.
Your life has a story with one HERO in it – God.
Our lives are HIS story.
You and I are invited to participate and play specific roles.
It is WE who need to show up.
This is a paradigm shifting revelation. In our self-centered way of thinking, we keep God at the periphery of our lives and expect/request Him to “show-up” as and when we need. Little do we realize that God is the center of this universe and we need to align our thoughts to His.
Have you ever read Isaiah 40:21-23? I like the way THE MESSAGE BIBLE rephrases the passage, as mentioned below:
“Have you not been paying attention?
Have you not been listening?
Haven’t you heard these stories all your life?
Don’t you understand the foundation of all things?
God sits high above the round ball of earth.
The people look like mere ants.
HE stretches out the skies like a canvas-
Yes, like a tent canvass to live under.
HE ignores what all princes says and do”.
To sum up this passage in three words, I’d say – “God is sovereign”.
It means that God is the supreme ruler, the ultimate – absolute-independent-most effective-infallible power!
As a supreme ruler HE oversees everything especially for HIS children. HE is just and fair. HE sees the hard work and efforts we’d put in. HE sees our future before we even dream of it. HE knows how we could or would react to situations. HE knows our deepest and hidden desires. HE thinks independent of any man’s opinion. HE is absolute. HE is no respecter of man-made rules or man’s opinions. HE takes sovereign decisions.
Taking the word of God to be the infallible truth. The Lord has always been there for us, individually. In fact in every situation, “God is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. HE won’t let you down. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t worry”. (Deut 31:8 The Message)
HE won’t let you down: This is not only true when you’re successful. If you think that your efforts amounted to nothing (failure in your eyes), HE still did not let you down (God does not lie). HE knows what good is in store ahead (future) of you, and HE is not letting you down for what’s ahead.
Don’t be intimidated. Don't worry: God said it. Not man. So, if you know HE never lets you down, why be afraid or worry about the outcome or results of all your efforts at winning?
Looking back, I may have been just a substitute basketball player but I was part of the team, had my day in the sun, scored a few baskets, learned hard work and humility in preparation for other sports like netball where I had a better role to play. I may not have won the elocution contests because they were only stepping stones to bigger wins in debate competitions. I did not qualify for GMAT because my calling was not to manage business in a corporate structure but to be part of a bigger role of expanding the Kingdom of God, working alongside with God.
Irrespective of outcomes, we are invited to participate in life.
God is already in it.
It is on us to show up, at HIS party.
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to HIS purpose for them”.
Romans 8:28
About the Author
Coretta Christy is a mission mobilizer.
She left the software engineering field to pursue on God's heartbeat which is to take the gospel to the unreached.
She has served in Cambodia for more than 4 years and is now actively mobilising the church in India to send missionaries to the unreached.
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