There is a wonderful Fanny Crosby hymn written more than a hundred years ago titled "Blessed Assurance". The chorus says, "This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Saviour all the day long." Maybe you've heard it.
I didn't think of that hymn until after the title for this Post had already hit me. But hey, it works. Just for the fun of it, I'll paste the lyrics to the hymn at the bottom of this Post. If you know the tune, sing it! The full song is all over the Internet, so Google it if you'd like to hear it.
Okay, now down to business.
Scripture tells us that Jesus is The Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2) and that
All things were made by Him and through Him and for Him. (Col. 1:16)
It was His idea to start all of this. I'm talking about the big "All": all of life, all of the universe, all of the past, all of the future. Back before the beginning of time, it was His idea and His story. He has never ceased to own the story and He never will.
I can pretend that my story belongs to me, but it never has and it never will. So I make up my mind to put on my big boy pants, stand before the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and face up to the truth. It's high time to face the truth.
He DID NOT make all of this so He could be unhappy and have a grieving heart, discomfort, and irritation forever. He is writing it because, in the long run, this story will add to His happiness and joy. That's His plan and, in that long run, He gets to do things His way.
The human story -- the story of mankind, my story, your story -- are just threads in the Story that He's writing for Himself for His own purposes. As individuals, we are characters in His story. He owns the story; we don't. That's pretty straightforward. Let's say that again: I am just a character in His story. You are just a character in His story. For you and me, that's it, there's no more, no less. We do not own even our own stories, much less His.
Face it: God knows what He's getting when He takes us on, and He knows that He has to start in us wherever He can. Considering that we're working from a human perspective, getting more of Him into my day is okay for starters. And, for starters, it seems to work. But no matter how good we are at fitting more of Him into this corner and that corner of our lives, as long as we go about it that way, we're operating from a myopic perspective. It's an ego-centric approach because it's based on a human-centered world view.
So we work at fitting God into our lives, adding God to our lives, asking God to get involved and do this, that, or the other in our lives. And being disappointed if He doesn't. I've spent years doing this very thing, as if it was about me. Here's what I've learned:
The sooner I get over making this about me, the better. The same goes for you. There's a much better way.
Do this: Recognize that it's about Him, not you. Not to hurt your feelings, but it's never been about you and never will be. Ask Him to fit you into His story. Desire to be the "character" in His story that He wants you to be. Ask Him to let you wrap your mind and your life around this more accurate point of view.
I want to play the role He envisions so well that I become fully absorbed and lost in it, that I become the role and the role becomes me. In the acting business, I think there's something I'll use as a metaphor; it's called "Method Acting." But I'm not talking about the human way of doing this; I'm talking about the God-driven way of losing myself in His story.
As you begin to get this, you should also find it easier to let go of your hurts, your wounds, your disappointments, and the rejection and general unfairness of this life. Why? Because the thought that it's not about you will begin to take root. The thought that it's really about Him will begin to take root. For me, that makes letting go of things much easier to do.
That summarizes the part in this Post's title about this being His story. It is His story, but in it He sings about us! That's pretty amazing. Instead of being disgusted, He sings a Happy Song about us! Wow!
As for us being His song, Zephaniah 3:17 says this about the Redeemed in His story:
I didn't think of that hymn until after the title for this Post had already hit me. But hey, it works. Just for the fun of it, I'll paste the lyrics to the hymn at the bottom of this Post. If you know the tune, sing it! The full song is all over the Internet, so Google it if you'd like to hear it.
Okay, now down to business.
Scripture tells us that Jesus is The Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2) and that
All things were made by Him and through Him and for Him. (Col. 1:16)
It was His idea to start all of this. I'm talking about the big "All": all of life, all of the universe, all of the past, all of the future. Back before the beginning of time, it was His idea and His story. He has never ceased to own the story and He never will.
I can pretend that my story belongs to me, but it never has and it never will. So I make up my mind to put on my big boy pants, stand before the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and face up to the truth. It's high time to face the truth.
He DID NOT make all of this so He could be unhappy and have a grieving heart, discomfort, and irritation forever. He is writing it because, in the long run, this story will add to His happiness and joy. That's His plan and, in that long run, He gets to do things His way.
The human story -- the story of mankind, my story, your story -- are just threads in the Story that He's writing for Himself for His own purposes. As individuals, we are characters in His story. He owns the story; we don't. That's pretty straightforward. Let's say that again: I am just a character in His story. You are just a character in His story. For you and me, that's it, there's no more, no less. We do not own even our own stories, much less His.
Face it: God knows what He's getting when He takes us on, and He knows that He has to start in us wherever He can. Considering that we're working from a human perspective, getting more of Him into my day is okay for starters. And, for starters, it seems to work. But no matter how good we are at fitting more of Him into this corner and that corner of our lives, as long as we go about it that way, we're operating from a myopic perspective. It's an ego-centric approach because it's based on a human-centered world view.
So we work at fitting God into our lives, adding God to our lives, asking God to get involved and do this, that, or the other in our lives. And being disappointed if He doesn't. I've spent years doing this very thing, as if it was about me. Here's what I've learned:
The sooner I get over making this about me, the better. The same goes for you. There's a much better way.
Do this: Recognize that it's about Him, not you. Not to hurt your feelings, but it's never been about you and never will be. Ask Him to fit you into His story. Desire to be the "character" in His story that He wants you to be. Ask Him to let you wrap your mind and your life around this more accurate point of view.
I want to play the role He envisions so well that I become fully absorbed and lost in it, that I become the role and the role becomes me. In the acting business, I think there's something I'll use as a metaphor; it's called "Method Acting." But I'm not talking about the human way of doing this; I'm talking about the God-driven way of losing myself in His story.
As you begin to get this, you should also find it easier to let go of your hurts, your wounds, your disappointments, and the rejection and general unfairness of this life. Why? Because the thought that it's not about you will begin to take root. The thought that it's really about Him will begin to take root. For me, that makes letting go of things much easier to do.
That summarizes the part in this Post's title about this being His story. It is His story, but in it He sings about us! That's pretty amazing. Instead of being disgusted, He sings a Happy Song about us! Wow!
As for us being His song, Zephaniah 3:17 says this about the Redeemed in His story:
The Lord your God in your midst,The word translated "rejoice" in the last part of that verse is the Hebrew word "gheel". Any good concordance will tell you that "gheel" literally means to spin around in wild rejoicing. Can you picture that? God really is excited about His story. He really is excited about the Redeemed. He is really excited about you! He more than just loves you; He is wildly, ecstatically in love with you!
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.
Tonight, this is my prayer; maybe it can be yours, too:
Father, Please help me get my arms around the notion that this is Your story, not mine. Let me become the character in your story that you want me to be, bringing you all the happiness and love that your heart craves. Let me lose myself in that character and lose myself in You. Amen.
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The ideas in this Post are reflected in the following verses:
Hebrews 12:2
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Romans 11:36
For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
Colossians 1:16
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
1 Corinthians 8:6
Yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.
John 1:3
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
John 1:10
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
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Blessed Assurance
Frances J. Crosby, 1873
Copyright: Public Domain
Scripture: Hebrews 10:22
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels, descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
Refrain
Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
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