“God does not put the strings of our hearts in the hands of sinners. He puts them in the hands of Jesus who loves sinners.” -John Piper
Can you look beyond this moment, this person or circumstance that seemingly crushed your heart and see Christ, the Great Sovereign standing there, ruling over all and making you look more like Him through it all?
Nothing happens to us apart from God’s divine plan through His divine will filtered through His divine love.
That means this circumstance, this person, this day comes to us because it’s the absolute best thing for us to see and declare God’s glory, to experience deeper waves of grace and joy and to be made more like Him. As someone once told me, that doesn’t mean every situation is good but that He works every situation for our good.
Piper continues:
“Let us not be content with sins, but let us be content with God in relation to sinners. Can you distinguish between being content in circumstances but not being content with circumstances? Can you imagine weeping over a wayward son and resting in the sovereign goodness of God who does all things well (Mark 7:37)?”
Can you? Will you?
One of my favorite songs is The Greatness of Our God. It was introduced to me when a sweet husband and wife duo sang it at a Campus Outreach New Years Conference in college during an extremely emotional time in my life. It was one of those huge moments where it seemed God had written that song just for me and ever since it has been a continual prayer of my heart, especially the line, “Give me grace to see beyond this moment here, to believe that there is nothing left to fear.”
Over the last couple of weeks, the song has worked the circuit on my most played list on iTunes as I’ve been praying for clarity and to be given eyes to see more of the Lord and what He’s doing. But in the last couple of days it’s hit me that whether He “give[s] me grace to see beyond this moment” or not, whether I understand or not, I can rest in His sovereignty.
What I see in Him is enough to still my anxious heart regardless of what I see in circumstances around me.
I hope this song encourages you. God is with you in your circumstances and situations. Rest in Him.
The Greatness of Our God
Give me eyes to see
More of who You are
May what I behold
Still my anxious heart
Take what I have known
And break it all apart
You my God are greater still
No sky contains
No doubt restrains
All You are
The greatness of our God
I spend my life to know
And I’m far from close
To all You are
The greatness of our God
To all You are
The greatness of our God
Give me grace to see
Beyond this moment here
To believe that there
Is nothing left to fear
That You alone are high above it all
You my God are greater still
And there is nothing
That could ever separate us
There is nothing that could ever
Separate if from Your love
No life no death of this I am convinced
You my God are greater still
And no words could say
Or songs convey
All you are
The greatness of our God
I spend my life to know
And I’m far from close
To all You are
The greatness of our God
To all You are
The greatness of our God
Sophie Miller 