God Knows What He is Doing

Today’s reading from Proverbs begins, “The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deeps broke forth, and the clouds drop down the dew.” (Proverbs 3.19) As the first week of Great Lent draws to a close, this wisdom from the Holy Scriptures should comfort us that God knows what He is doing.

Allow me to explain....

This week Scripture readings reminded us of the story of Creation, the Fall of humanity, and God’s plan for salvation. “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."  (Genesis 3.15) Since Great Lent is a time for us to dedicate effort to restoring our relationship with God, our part at least, it is always good to know where it all started. God created, our ancestors fell, God saved.

God saved? YES! The Old Testament readings this weekend concluded with God’s promise to save us from our predicament. Once we had sinned and death had entered into our existence, God immediately enacted a plan to defeat death. When the Old Testament readings continue on Monday (during Great Lent we read Old Testament Monday-Friday and New Testament Saturday and Sunday) the story will switch to the first phase of God’s plan. (I’ll talk more about Monday)

In the meantime, Proverbs encourages us to have faith that God knows what He is doing. It was by WISDOM He founded the earth. It was by UNDERSTANDING He established the heavens. It was by His KNOWLEDGE the deeps broke forth. All these are important to remember. God knew what He was doing when He created, and He knows what He is doing to save us.

Our part in His plan is to desire to follow Him into heaven. It is during Great Lent when we are able to focus our attention on defeating our passions since it was our passions that tempted us to sin in the first place. It is during Great Lent when we are able to use food (or lack of it) to repair the sin that eating the forbidden fruit which brought death into existence in the first place. It is during Great Lent that our increased prayer allows us to communicate with God since we had ignored His advice in the Garden.

We’ve come a long way this week in our understanding of the great journey that is ahead of us. You’ve gotten through the first week, and you should offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God that He allowed you this opportunity. The weekend changes emphasis. We will still be fasting, but our fasting will not be as strict. Stay tuned...