Yesterday I told you about the toy robot I had as s child. I said it was a great companion, better than other toy robots on the market, mostly because it was to a certain degree unpredictable. When it bumped into something it would turn either to the right or the left, but I never knew in advance which it might be. It was almost like it had some sort of ‘free will,’ and that’s what made it such a pleasure!
Sometimes I’d set up my play story to the right of where my robot would turn. I’d, for example, build little ‘towns’ out of playing cards, or line up armies of dominoes which, if my robot turned right, it would topple and send my play story on a particular path as a result. If it ‘decided’ to go left instead, well then the playing card town residents were safe awhile longer and a completely different storyline would emerge.
Of course I always had the option as well to aim my mechanical man straight at the playing card town or the domino army, bypassing ‘chance’ altogether. Ultimately, I was in control.
Random events, coincidences, free will… how do all these things fit into the nature of God and His dealings with mankind? Are we all just robots… playthings for divine amusement? Scripture assures us we are not!
In psalm, David asks,
What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them d a little lower than the angels and crowned them f with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet (Psalm 8:4-6).
And He’s not yet done making and re-making us, as Paul explains, “…we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.” (1 Cor. 15: 52,53), and as John describes, “…now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)
God has big plans for us! He wanted so much to make these plans clear to us that He became one of us!
My toy robot was very limited. It didn’t even know that I existed! In fact, it didn’t even know that itself existed! We were all like that too… until Jesus interrupted our pointless path and turned us, not 90° but 180° – a full turnaround!
Now, if we have made that turnaround because of Him, we are headed someplace with purpose. We get to participate with Him in this journey. Whenever we wander amiss we need only set our sights for Him and He will set us aright. He is a great Companion – and most amazing of all, He thinks we are too!
More tomorrow…
thebrokenrunner 