Rambling Thoughts on God

It's funny how things will hit me with repetition. A few weeks ago I was running MediaShout for our Sunday services at church and we were singing the song, "Indescribable" (written by Laura Story and Jessica Reeves; featured on Arriving by Chris Tomlin). I've heard the song several times and had run through it with the band several times at practice and in all three services, but somewhere around the second service, these lines really struck me:

Indescribable, uncontainable
You placed the stars in the sky
And you know them by name
You are amazing, God

And I began to think about those lyrics and my thoughts began to spread to all of the other things that He has created--us included--and I began to ponder what it would be like to be God, watching His creation. Watching those who were created in His image as they hurt themselves and others who were likewise created in His image... As they took for granted the things that they had and ruined their lives striving for things just out of reach... Watching them as they tried so hard to explain away the miraculous creation that only He had the power to create... Listening to them as they discounted his place in their schools and businesses and lives... I believe that God has an active role in this world and in our personal lives, but I just imagine that He has to sit back and watch us every once in a while, if only to chuckle at our ridiculous antics.

It blows my mind that God put us in the midst of this amazing world and gave us the free will to decide whether we want to love Him and obey him or not... And then He allows us to exercise that free will knowing that the choices we make are sometimes poor and that consequences will inevitably follow--consequences we will more than likely blame him for.

Tonight I was at worship practice in preparation for this Sunday's services and another song we were practicing reminded me of my thoughts from a few weeks back. The band was working on "Blessed Be Your Name" by Matt and Beth Redman and the lyrics that caught me tonight (actually, every time I sing the song) were:

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

And again I was reminded of how fickle I can be... It's so easy to be in tune with God when everything is going my way, but the second verse really gets me. Because why should I praise God any less when life hurts...when I've been caught in my own foolishness...when I am suffering from the result of sin in this world--either my own or that of others?

Something came up at school this week that kinda brought that all into just a little better focus for me. Nothing dramatic--just the typical angst of teaching middle/high schoolers--but it helped me to see life a little more clearly from God's perspective... And I caught a glimpse of the self-centered, demanding 8th grader I probably sound like to him most of the time.

I know that this probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense to anyone else, but it's just sort of been the thing I've been 'chewing on' for the last few weeks. And it's helping me to see that I need to worry more about following His lead and less about what other people think about what I'm doing. It's a hard lesson to learn. I'm thankful that God is more patient with me than I am with Him--and His patience just illustrates the lesson all over again...