Some days I am grayer than others. On some days I am rounder, cuter from behind, less noticeable, less well manicured and on some days, I am less obnoxious than others. I am humorous to some more than others. There are a few who see me as something other than what others see. I can be seen as a familiar sight in a mirror or as an unapproachable distant barrier. Still, I am. I am because of what I was created to be. I am who and what I am because of the choices I have made. I am disappointing only to those who expect more of me. I am joy to those who choose to see me as joy. All of that is me. There is but one me. I may change how I project me but the receiving of me is beyond my control. I may influence it, but ultimately, I am me.
God is never different; Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever. In eternity past, He is God. In the un-seeable, unimaginable distant future, He is God. In every breath and heart beat and even when they both cease, He is God. God is never gray. He is black and white and every shade and hue between. He is never contrary to who He is. He is love and bound up in His love is all manner of justice, compassion and fulfillment of promised consequences. He is the great I AM. I am created in His image. Some draw near seeing His presence more desirable than what they have known before. Some see Him as an unapproachable distant barrier. He is disappointing only to those who expect more selfishly of Him. He is joy to those who choose to see. All of that is Him. There is but one God.
In one of the science fiction shows I watched years ago, there is a scene where the discussion of the end of the known universe is ongoing. The quote is “He will push that button. He has always pushed that button. He will always push that button.” That is not fatalism but rather it is the knowledge of the end from the beginning. God has that view. We tend to see our existence as an unmapped journey with unlimited possibilities and it is. God sees every choice, every circumstance, every turn in our journey as though He is reviewing the path long after it is completed and yet at the same time He is intimately involved in every step as it unfolds. He knows your choice. Since that choice is the choice He already knows you will make He has already made provision for the outcome and options resulting from that choice. What we see as random haphazard coincidences, He sees as well orchestrated desirable steps to your role in His glory. It is not science fiction.
Did you ever think that when an atheist prays (and they DO pray), did you ever think that they pray that they won’t get caught praying? Or that when someone who claims to be a true believer and follower of Christ sins that they too pray that they don’t get caught (overheard) praying for the forgiveness of that particular failure. It is not just the desire not to get caught. It ultimately is about not wanting to deal with the consequences of their choices. Many times people are sorrier that they got caught than they are that they actually offended God. Some pray that they will have the courage to make the right choices. Others pray they will have the strength to say no to the wrong choices. The reason we pray is that underneath all the bravado and posturing, we somehow believe it is possible that there is a God. We know and want to believe that there is an all-powerful God who can intervene in our circumstances. It is not magic and we know it. We may not be able to explain or understand but our only other alternative is to deny the existence we know exists.
Some unbelieving people are willing to do just that. They formulate fantastic possibilities of how it might have happened but in the end it is all fabricated so they can deny God. If they were to admit there is a God then there is a basis for moral law and for accountability of their sin. What could cause them to want to do that? They struggle with flesh just as believers do. Some days they are grayer than others. They are like the husband and wife who have not spoken in years; still married by law but not in spirit.
Often we are more concerned about of being open with those around us than we are of God. We don’t want our neighbors or co-workers to think less of us than the persona we have presented. So we are willing to deceive connive and mislead all in the name of preserving our reputation. Yet our reputation in this life seldom remains intact for more than a few years. But the reputation we retain with God our Creator, lasts for eternity. Being honest with Him has great rewards. Being more concerned about His opinion than that of others is a good indicator of where you might live for eternity. God doesn’t think much of gray, He tends to have a black or white perspective. He said you cannot serve two masters. And there are only two. Who you are and what you present yourself as in this life will have a profound impact on your place in the next life. Some folks may be impressed by you. Some may hold you in contempt. God only holds desire for us. Now is probably a good time to get caught praying to Him.