God wastes nothing ... even 2020?

Photo by Danil Aksenov on Unsplash

God wastes nothing.

I paused as these words leapt off the screen … again!

Over the last few weeks I’ve seen this phrase several times, each in a different place. I’m sometimes slow to catch on, but after running across it repeatedly I considered God might be trying to tell me something! Grabbing my prayer journal and a pen, I sat with these words, intentionally bringing them to Him in prayer. As I did, the following verse came to mind:

And we know 

that in all things 

God works for the good of those who love him, 

who have been called according to his purpose. 

Romans 8:28 

Now before you become impressed with my ability to recall and quote specific scripture verses, I should tell you I did NOT have that verse memorized. I don’t really have any verses memorized. It would be more accurate to say I knew a verse existed about God bringing good from all situations so I simply googled it to find His exact words. I do this quite often … thank goodness for the internet!

Anyway, sitting with this verse, I realized several things:

He’s not telling me there won’t be hard, challenging, or confusing times. He’s not telling me there won’t be situations that break my heart. Or require me to give more of myself than I ever thought possible. Situations where I feel lost. Situations that are completely out of my control.

He’s not telling me the good He brings from these situations will come the way I envision it. Or that the good will only be for me. He doesn’t tell me the good will come right away. Or on anything even close to my time schedule. And He doesn’t assure me I’ll always be able to see the good He brings.

Most importantly, He doesn’t tell me that I must somehow earn the good He brings. In fact, considering all of my faults, He will most often bring good DESPITE everything I do, not because of it. His ability to bring good is NOT because of ME or MY character. It is because of HIM and HIS character. And He asks only one thing of me – to love Him.

Reflecting on this verse, I feel His peace. It’s as if a tiny door of my heart is opening, and a calmness I can’t explain slowly fills my soul. I somehow feel held and safe in a new and inexplicable way. And I wonder … if I cling to this verse, reciting it until it flows easily off my tongue, actively walking in and owning it … will it allow His peace to continue flowing through me ALWAYS?

And could I be so bold as to take things one step further … What if I intentionally BROUGHT TO HIM all the things in my heart? In my life? In my world?

What if I boxed up everything …
    all pain and confusion,
    my disappointment, sadness and grief,
    any frustration and anger, anxiety and fear,
    any feelings of rejection, brokenness or worthlessness
    all thoughts, words and actions, all plans and dreams …
and brought them all to Him in prayer, trusting Him with them, as I placed them in His hands? 

If I did that, how much more good could He bring?
How much more would I be able to feel His peace?
How much more would I be able to see the good?

Sitting with this, and reflecting on the past year, I realize I’ve encountered another phrase many times lately. Perhaps I’ve even spoken some version of it myself:

I’m so ready for 2020 to be over and for 2021 to begin!

As if flipping the calendar will somehow change our circumstances. As if learning to write "2021" will somehow bring an end to ALL that has seemed so “wrong” with 2020.

But now I wonder, as this year comes to a close, perhaps He’s actually extending an invitation. An invitation to take a moment and reflect on everything that has been 2020 – the disappointment, the grief, the pain, the anxiety. An invitation to gather these things together and set them gently in His hands. An invitation to trust He will do as He says, and somehow, some way, work them for good. An invitation to place our hope for 2021 in Him, and not on a new calendar.

Perhaps His invitation is also meant for you…

Hoping you have a Happy New Year.
And, as always, that God breathes life into these words.

___________________________

(blessed by these words? feel free to share, so you can bless others.)