God is worthy to be praised.
That’s not an unusual statement to make for those who believe in God and for those who don’t believe in God it’s a redundant statement, then for those who aren’t sure there’s a shrug of the shoulders and either an interest to discover further or not.
What leads me to state what has been mentioned by many over the years is what I get from both looking at the minor prophets and contrasting that with some of life’s experiences recently. It’s all seen in microcosm in enjoying my favourite pastime – watching football.
My team have enter this game as the underdogs. There’s no way they should win and that’s clear because of decisions made by both the manager and the players on the pitch. They now face a game away from home against a team on better form. The fans of the home team are not reluctant to express their perceived superiority. The first moments of the match appear to reinforce that optimistic view as my team is put under tremendous pressure. They can hardly place a series of passes together and then the inevitable happens and my team concedes. That’s the score as half-time arrives and all the team and supporters are deflated.
Yet there emerges a small window of hope. Perhaps if we can just score the next goal. Maybe if we can just have something to hold onto, maybe that will give us something to believe in. Sure enough despite a jittery first few moments of the second half, an energetic approach to the game sees us get an unlikely equaliser. Inspired by that we begin to believe and raise our game. Our manager makes a savvy double substitution and the opposition don’t know how to handle that. We score two more goals and all of a sudden we need just one more goal to win the two-legged tie.
With the last dying minutes of the game remaining, the manager makes a weird final substitution taking off what we all thought was a really influential player for someone we were surprised had even made it to the subs bench. Yet it’s this unsuspecting player who baffles and bemuses the opposition with seconds left and makes a last gasp effort putting his body on the line to get the goal we needed just seconds before the ref calls for full time.
We all erupt as the goal goes in! We did it! Against all odds. Despite all the naysayers. We didn’t even look like we deserved it, but we did it! Ah the scenes of hugging and laughing, some of us crying in shock and amazement at the turnaround. We don’t even have the time of the wherewithal to notice the opposition and their fans. We’re far too busy celebrating the remarkable turnaround. From the depths of devastation to the heights of victory in the most unlikely manner, but it’s happened and we are rejoicing.
What on earth does that have to do with the minor prophets and life? Ahhhhh well, there’s no getting away from the plight the prophets outline. They are not pleasant circumstances at all and in a lot of cases defeat of the most humiliating kind is assured for our team. Yet even in those circumstances, the word that emerges is that because of who God is and His faithfulness to His people, He will come through with the win. Against all odds He will bring about the victory. That victory is of far greater worth than my team winning a two-legged fixture. That victory is not just won on the Cross, it is won in the Resurrection and in the promised fulfilment of the Kingdom that awaits.
Considering the circumstances humanity and this world found themselves in – that’s quite the turnaround.
That’s why God is worthy to be praised.
(Photo by JOSHUA COLEMAN on Unsplash)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 