214. YOUR STORY IS FOR HIS GLORY

(The Faith Forum Series – Batch 3)

This world and this life was never about any of us. It has always been about GOD’S story.

That is why in the days recorded in the Bible, he allowed JOSEPH to be separated from his family at a young age, sent to Egypt and to endure so much sorrow, although this ruined all of the plans he possibly had for his own future.

It is why he allowed JACOB and his whole family to move to Egypt, then years later, for their descendants to be in bondage to the Egyptians as slaves for four hundred (400) years, until he was ready to deliver them and with a mighty hand, in the four hundred and thirtieth year.

It is why even after MARY had made plans to be married to her fiancé Joseph, God stepped in and allowed his plan for her life to have the preeminence. He allowed her to get pregnant by the power of the Holy Ghost, which resulted in Joseph almost leaving her, as he initially thought that she had been unfaithful and had had sex before marriage with someone else.

What the various stories of what transpired in the Bible days tell us is that throughout the generations of mankind to date, we have not been placed here on earth to make ourselves look good or to see how far we can progress in this life or what we can acquire for ourselves. Yes, many of us are full of ourselves and want the spotlight to shine on us but we are here merely to serve as actors in God’s story.

This realization, this truth is very humbling.

What this means then is that your story and my story only take on significance and value, when they are a subset of and are in alignment with God’s story. In other words, your story and my story only take on validity when they submit to the will of heaven and reflect and showcase God’s glory. Anything else is a wasteful existence.

In Isaiah 43:7, God stated through his Prophet of everyone that was called by his name through covenant: “…I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.”

This was why God permitted the devil to turn JOB’s life upside down by taking away his wealth, killing all of his children and then attacking his health, although Job was described in the Bible as a perfect man and was living right in the sight of God.

Unknowing to Job, God had made a boast of him and his faithfulness to the devil. The devil had alleged that Job was only serving God because of all the blessings God had given to him and the hedge of protection he had placed around him. He alleged that once those things were removed, Job would curse God to his face.

God therefore permitted the devil to touch Job’s life in any way he saw fit, once he did not harm him, so that he, the Lord, would be glorified, when, despite all the pain he went through, Job chose to still serve God after he had lost everything.

Job still worshipped God at his very worst but he also grieved greatly for all that he was enduring. In the middle of it though, he realized that his life was not about his own story but solely about God’s glory. He realized that no matter how much he pleaded, God would fulfill his plan for his life, even if he did not like it.

In Job 23:13-14, Job stated of God: “But he is of one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.”

Even when as God’s people, we rebel against the part God wants us to play in his Kingdom agenda and we fight against him to do what we want to do and to live life unto ourselves, he can still orchestrate things so that we achieve his will, no matter how hard we fight or how rebellious we are.

He did this with Jonah who he told to go and preach to the people of Nineveh but he disobeyed because he didn’t want to go. He did it with Samson, who allowed his holy calling to be undermined time and time again because of his love of ungodly women. He lost his life at the end but God’s purpose for his life which was to begin to overthrow the Philistine power over God’s people was fulfilled at the point of his death. He even got Moses to go before Pharaoh with the message he had given him, along with his brother Aaron, although Moses tried to give excuses why he could not go.

Even where the ungodly insist on serving the devil, resolving never to submit themselves to God, to always assert control over their lives and fight against God’s people, God still has the power to give them a role as ‘defeated villain’ in his plot. This is what he did with Pharoah who refused to let God’s people the Israelites go. It is what he did with Haman, who thought he could mess with God’s people and emerge victorious.

Simply put, it is impossible to fight against God and win. Whether we plan to submit to his will or not, he gives us a role in HIS story.

That is why, during Moses’ era, God made it known that he was the one that had raised up Pharaoh, the ungodly king of Egypt, who dared to say that he did not know God and therefore refused to do as he demanded.

When Pharaoh, foolishly thinking that he was the ultimate authority because he was king of Egypt and in a lofty position, refused to do what God instructed, God simply gave him the role of defeated villain and continued on with HIS story.

It states in Exodus 9:12-16:

• “And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had spoken unto Moses. And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. And in very deed FOR THIS CAUSE HAVE I RAISED THEE UP, FOR TO SHEW IN THEE MY POWER; AND THAT MY NAME MAY BE DECLARED THROUGHOUT ALL THE EARTH.”

Contrary to what the world tells you therefore, this life is all about God’s story and HIS glory, not our own.

He controls and influences even Kings, Presidents, Prime Ministers and every Dignitary, without them even knowing it, so as to fulfill HIS divine agenda. They think that they are in control and that they are making decisions on their own but God uses them mightily without them even knowing it, whether they are on his side or not.

To those who submit to the Lordship of Jesus, he gives them a role of ‘Victor’, as they support heaven’s agenda. To those who rebel and refuse to submit to his way and what the Bible states, he still uses them to fulfill his plan but gives them the role of ‘defeated villain’.

Proverbs 21:1 states: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.”

The sooner we allow God to write a story for us, as a subset of his own, the better, for it is always better to be given a role of ‘Victor’, as opposed to ‘defeated villain’.

(Written on 30th January, 2019)

ADDENDUM

On a related note, on 13th August, 2013, I wrote, after realizing that nothing in my life was going as I had expected, wanted or planned:

• “It is sort of frightening when you tell God you want to write your life story and you set about to do just that. He gives you the title, you begin the writing and then two, three, four years into it, God begins to allow all sorts of seemingly crazy things to happen to the point where you can’t help but ask him “Lord, what in the world is going on?” He replies confidently because the whole world is in his hands, “Your story, my glory, remember?”