The God Picture

Philippians 1: 6 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.

Our vision is so limited within these earthly clay vessels. We may think that we see broadly but our true scope is so limited. In our humanness we like to talk about seeing the "big picture." This is the larger set of events surrounding the smaller one that we deal with every day. One analogy compares these as seeing the forest as well as the trees. Someone who can only see the trees, fails to see the "big picture." We can get so wrapped up in our own circumstances that the big picture just fades into the problems we face. But taking this even further, there is also a God Picture. Beyond the big picture we like to create in our own understanding, there lies the ultimate plan of Almighty God not only for our lives but for all mankind. If you think the big picture is elusive, the God Picture can prove to be even more so.

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the L ord . "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 55: 8-9 (NLT)

Sometimes we think we can fathom God. It is human arrogance that always seeks to quantify everything and God is no different. But the truth is that God is so far beyond anything we could possibly imagine. His ways and thoughts are so far above ours. The God Picture is so far above our everyday lives. Yet it is what we need to be seeking. By seeking and focusing on the God Picture, we can correctly see the smaller picture for what it truly is.

Too often in our lives we will find ourselves in the valley. Walking in the wilderness; trying to understand the trees that are before us unable to see the forest, let alone the God Picture. Take a look at the story of Joseph. He was the spoiled favorite child of Jacob. Hated by his brothers, Joseph would be sold into Egyptian slavery. At the age of 17 he would have to learn a new language and culture as a slave. Yet still God prospered Joseph in the house of Potiphar. We read that sometimes and think Joseph had it easy but realize he was still a slave. Because he was young and attractive, the master's wife began to make passes at Joseph. Yet despite doing the right thing Joseph finds himself in prison for a crime he did not commit. He would then spend about 10 years in that prison. We read that God prospered Joseph in prison and confuse that again to think that he had it easy but remember he was still a slave and was still in jail. And this wasn't jail with a full gym and basic cable package!

And there Joseph sits. Night after night. Year after year. His youth turning into manhood. The ultimate wilderness experience. Ten years for doing the right thing. Ten years to grow resentful of his brothers for selling him into slavery. Ten years for growing hateful against Potiphar's wife for falsely accusing him. Ten years to draw inward and focus on the trees surrounding him. The Bible does not tell us much about those ten years. We must believe that God was still working on Joseph. Working all of the resentment and hatred out of him. Perfecting His plan for his life. Think about that the next time you feel in the valley or discouraged by life. Joseph spent ten years in prison for something he did not do before he would meet the cupbearer and the baker. He would interpret their dreams and ask the cupbearer to remember him to Pharaoh. After a decade of being forgotten by everyone, Joseph asked to once again be remembered. Yet once again, he was forgotten.

Pharaoh's chief cup-bearer, however, forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought. Genesis 40: 23 (NLT)

Never giving him another thought. How sad but how typical for the life Joseph knew of so far. The small picture must have been maddeningly frustrating. The cupbearer would cost Joseph another two years in prison before he remembered him to Pharaoh. We are not told much about those two years but we can safely assume that Joseph was not ready yet. God needed him to see beyond the "big picture." He needed him to see the God Picture if the nation of Israel was to survive. We know the story God delivers Joseph after 12 long years and within ONE day he goes from the prison to the palace. For correctly interpreting Pharaoh's dream and devising the plan for surviving the impending famine, Joseph is named Prime Minister of all Egypt, answering only to Pharaoh. Eventually he would reunite with his family and through Joseph, Israel would be spared the famine and would prosper in the land of Egypt.

Joseph saw the God Picture in his life. He was no plaster saint beloved. You know there were days he doubted what it was all for. You know there were nights he spent screaming at the sky for his lot in life. Seeing red when thinking about his brothers, or Potiphar and his wife, or the cupbearer. Yet how do we know he finally grasped the God Picture behind it all? Because despite all the wrong committed against him, Joseph never sought retribution on anyone, even though he had the power to do so! Never another word to Potiphar and his wife. Not a harsh word for the cupbearer. His brothers, who would be haunted by their decision to sell Joseph into slavery never saw the God Picture even when Joseph tried to explain it to them:

But Joseph replied, "Don't be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. No, don't be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children." So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them. Genesis 50: 19-21 (NLT)

THAT is the God Picture. To be able to put aside the personal hurts and affronts made upon yourself to see how God used it for His glory and His purpose! No matter how far down in the valley this devotional finds you today, think of Joseph. Seek the bigger picture behind the trial. And beyond that will lie the God Picture. God does not save us and then discard us! He is constantly working His big picture and His purpose out through us. The reason we get so caught up in the wilderness sometimes is that we keep focusing on those pesky trees in front of us. Maybe it is a real hurt in our lives. Maybe it is the crossroads in our life. Maybe we were as wronged as Joseph was and we are sitting there staring at the trees in front of us and they seem larger than life. They are overshadowing and overpowering in stature. They can become oppressive in sight and foreboding in appearance the longer we focus on them. If we are to get past them, we must start by looking past them. God is so much bigger than whatever tree it is you find yourself staring at. He is bigger than your marriage. He is bigger than your children. He is bigger than your career. He is bigger period. His plan is bigger period. His picture is bigger we need to be seeking it.

Our key verse today relates to this teaching. It is the jumping off point for finding the God Picture. Within this one verse are several truths to help us focus on what God is doing. First of all, we must approach this, as all of the things of God with confidence. "Being confident of this" is not just a trite saying:

God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? Numbers 23: 19 (NLT)

We do not approach the things of God with skepticism. The world is filled with empty and broken promises but God's promises are always yes and amen! His Word assures us that He has a plan for our future. No matter how dark the prison may seem He has a plan for your future. No matter how long the drought may seem He has a plan for your future. He has a God Picture and you are in it!

Secondly, the key verse reminds us that God already started a good work in you! We can tend to forget all God has done when we are facing our trees. Remember when David first walked onto the scene? The nine foot giant Goliath was terrorizing the fighting men of Israel. They were all cowering in fear. David however did not rely on the small picture in front of him:

But David persisted. "I have been taking care of my father's sheep and goats," he said. "When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The L ord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!" 1Samuel 17: 34-37 (NLT)

David saw the God Picture when he saw Goliath. The fighting men of Israel couldn't see past the nine foot tree that stood in their way and so they cowered to their situation. David remembered that God had started a god work in him and was not done yet! That is what we must remember in the heat of our battle. The enemy wants us focusing on the problem instead of remembering the problem solver we serve!

The next lesson from the key verse is that God has every intention of completing that good work He has started in us. He does not save us without purpose. There is a reason why God chose You. There is a plan He has, a God Picture, and you are a part of it! But you have to be a willing part of it. There is nothing sadder than knowledge without application. To know that you have a purpose and to then proceed to never fulfill it. After Peter denies Christ three times, here is where Jesus finds him again:

"I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. John 21: 3 (NIV)

Where did Jesus originally find Peter when he was first called? Fishing. Now that Peter has experienced the ultimate failure, he returns to his former life. "I'm going out to fish" may have well read "I'm giving up going back to my old life..." But Peter had a calling beyond the wilderness he was in. He had a calling beyond the trees he couldn't see past. He had a purpose in the God Picture that he couldn't see yet. Jesus would restore Peter that day and Peter would go on to preach the first Christian sermon at Pentecost. He would build the early church. God would complete the work He started in Peter because Peter was willing. We must be as willing to look past the trees that haunt us and see the God Picture beyond.

Lastly, the key verse teaches us that we are always learning. We are always evolving in Christ. Note that the verse does not say "Until you mature." It does not say, "Until you turn 50." It does not say, "Until you save 100 people." The completing work that God promises to do in you is an ongoing process that does not end in this lifetime. It ends when Christ returns. Too often we can become complacent in our walk. We can think that we have it all together and claim some mantle of completion we have not earned. Our spirit can become unteachable. God has a picture He is working on behind the scenes and you are a part of it. He is doing a perfecting work of completion inside of you but we must be a willing participant. This work is perpetual beloved. It is ongoing. Think of the Apostle Paul. Survivor of three missionary journeys. Evangelized the entire known world. As he waits in Rome for what he knows will be his end, he pens this heartfelt goodbye to his friend Timothy:

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. - 2Timothy 4: 6-8 (NIV)

I do not know where this devotional finds you today. I do not know the valley you find yourself in. I do not know how large and intimidating the trees look that are before you. What I do know is that God is bigger than them. What I do know is there is a bigger picture beyond the trees in the forest of our lives. And beyond that is a God Picture He is painting on the canvas of this world. We need to finish the race strong. We need to keep up the good fight. I am confident that the creator of the entire universe the great "I Am" will complete the work He has started in you if you will yield to the God Picture for your life and remain teachable and ready for the part He has for you to play. Every tree builds the forest. Every forest stretches the canvas for His picture. Do not give up in the middle of the completing work He is doing in your life.

Reverend Anthony Wade January 31, 2011