July 8, 2009

  • All Day...

    island

    What does God do all day?

    Some companies sponsor a Bring Your Child to Work Day so that children have a better understanding of what parents do on the job. After one such day, a child was asked to share what he had learned about his father's job. With a stifled yawn the boy replied, "All he does is meet."

    Sometimes it appears to people that all God does is answer prayer. But is that true? What really does God do all day?

    While the Bible says that God is always attentive to the voice of His children, God does a lot more than just listen to and answer prayers. Part of what God does all day is work in cooperation with people's work. According to Psalms, human labor is futile unless God puts it into process. Exodus reveals God is the One who gives people the abilities they need to do work. Paul reminded the Corinthians that their generosity was linked to God's work of giving to them. Genesis says people cultivate what God already has created. And Hosea and Jeremiah declared the prophets wrote and spoke only what God had spoken to them.

    God works in this world, too. According to the Book of Isaiah, God actively rules over the nations, calling up different ones to places of importance while reducing others to subservience ( useful as a means or an instrument; serving to promote an end) or annihilation (utter destruction or wiping out). God has also been at work in the nation of Israel. He called Abraham to a land God promised would be his. God set apart his descendants, gave them victory in battle, delivered them from slavery in Egypt, and raised up leaders to solidify them as the nation of Israel. God still watches over Israel, working out His promise to bring them into a land of peace and prosperity.

    And God is at work every day in human life, too. He intervenes, guides, guards, and directs the lives of His children. His daily work can be seen through you.

    Worth Thinking About:

    • Because God is at work in individual's lives, the psalmist says people should acknowledge their dependence on God and be grateful for His help.
    • God is actively at work in creation. The Bible says God sustains the created order of the plants and animals, the stars and planets, and all other living things.
    • God also works in the church. As a head directs the movement of a body, so God acts as the head of His church to direct its growth and ministry.

    Jesus answered them, "My Father is always working, and I too must work." John 5:17

    Excerpts from: 100 Answers to 100 Questions about God/Lila Empson/S.M. Hupp

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