God doesn’t need you, but He wants you.
If you remember nothing else, don’t forget this, and do
be in awe. Your salvation is part of God’s
mighty, eternal purpose, and His great mercy has made you His own. Overwhelmed by this dense mystery of God’s
sovereignty, the Apostle Paul broke into a doxology of amazed praise in the
middle of his letter to the Christians in Rome.
“Oh,
the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths
beyond tracing out! Who has known the
mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God that God should
repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen!” (Rom 11:33-36)
God’s wisdom and His ways are way beyond us. We can’t completely understand Him, and we
won’t ever figure Him out. He has no
need to ask us for advice or solicit our opinions. God has no debts to pay and no favors to
return. He is obligated to none, and His
grace is never compensation for our goodness.
All things—whether the vast grandeur of a supernova or the simple joy of
an infant’s smile—are from Him. All
things—the anticipation of an exciting event, the intimacy of a close friendship,
or the satisfaction of a good day’s work—are through Him. And all things—from our first cry to our last
breath—should be for Him. Forever.
This immense, invincible, super-supreme God does not
need us in any way, but He wants us in every way, and His marvelous grace made
the way for us to be His. We always know
this truth in our heads, but occasionally we grasp it more deeply in our hearts. This past week was one of those times for me.
I spent six days chaperoning 25 terrific high school kids at youth camp in
North Carolina, and the change of schedule, scenery, and pace, bolstered by Biblical
teaching and honest worship, provided the opportunity to re-realize and
re-believe that Jesus is my everything. Without
hesitation or reservation I could tell those precious students, most of whom
are dealing with life and its losses much earlier than seems fair, that though
sometimes we cannot trace God’s hand, we can always trust His heart. God’s
thoughts and His ways may be higher than our own (Isaiah 55:9), but His heart
is right where we are, and His love will never let us go(Rom 8:39).
As you consider the
greatness and grace of God today, don’t protest because you’re not needed; praise
Him because you are wanted, and let all of your life be all for His glory—forever.
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