How would you live if you knew God has you in the exact place He wanted you to be?
That question becomes increasingly challenging amid a chaotic world. We have lived with the grief of missing out on graduations, funerals, and adjusted weddings. Even mundane activities like going to the grocery store seem challenging. Social media exacerbates the vitriol of a polarized world.
Paul wrote the book of Philippians while in prison. Scholars and pastors have donned this book with one word – joy.
Throughout the book, Paul authentically affirms his relationship with the Philippian church while offering encouragement in a difficult season.
Two practical verses frame the four chapters of Philippians:
“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus…”
Philippians 1:6
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:13
In essence, Paul’s writing from prison reminds us of two significant exhortations – God’s not finished with you, and you have more strength from Him than you realize.
The good news of the gospel holds in tension the reality of a disappointing season with hope in Jesus.
Yes, this too shall pass, but we follow a Savior who conquered death and resurrected from the dead. You have not walked through a season that He does not know.
Yes, this season has exhausted us. We have more anxiety and worry. Stress and disappointment run rampant.
Pause long enough, and you can also see the beauty.
Recently, I read a survey that people felt closer to God in this season. I will always cherish the extra time with my daughter and wife during this shutdown. The pace of the world, in some ways, has slowed us down long enough to smell the roses. Looking back, I believe we take less for granted.
C.S. Lewis said it this way:
“We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
The Problem of Pain
That brings us back to the question – How would you live if you knew God has you in the exact place He wanted you to be?
Start with today. You might not have chosen this season, but that doesn’t mean that God has you exactly where He wants you. Fully embracing this long season of uncertainty acknowledges the reality of pain and beauty.
When you intentionally look for the ways God has worked, you become more aware of His grace in ways you never imagine.
I leave you with this from a prisoner who wrote a letter to the church of Philippi – God’s not finished with you, and you have more strength from Him than you realize.
How can you live differently knowing this is the season God has you? Share in the comment section below.
Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash