OnFire Encouragement Letter
OnFire #353 All is Well
The Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend has given me some time to remove a few more things from my winter prep list. The camper is covered and stored for the winter. The garden hose has been drained. The storage shed has been rearranged so the snow blower is closest to the door. Speaking of the snow blower, it fired up immediately. The engine oil level is good and the tires are inflated. Deep down inside I felt a warmth of contentment knowing that all is well and ready for winter.
As I thought about how good that contentment felt, I wondered if it was even a small measure of what God felt at creation.
In Genesis 1, we read that after God created on the third, fourth, and fifth days, He saw that it was good. And after the sixth day when God created humanity, He saw that is was very good. I think these are statements 1) of the quality of God’s creative handiwork, and 2) about His sense of accomplishment and contentment with the end result. I think God had the feeling that all is well.
The world we live in now is much different from the one God originally created. Some of God’s creative handiwork was undone when Adam and Even fell to temptation. We don’t enjoy perfect health, relationship troubles plague humanity, we’re messing up the environment, loss is common, injustice seems everywhere. We are all affected by these things and often the result is fear, worry, anxiety, a sense of being unsettled.
And so, when we experience these times of contentment and wonderment, we need to be thankful. First of all, it feels good. But more than that, they are signs to us that it won’t be this way forever. Just as God brought order out of formlessness and emptiness in Genesis, God will once again restore paradise. That’s the picture we have at the end of the Bible. God will not leave the world the way it is forever. He sent Jesus to deal with our sin problem on the cross, and when Jesus returns all will be restored. In this way, contentment is a sign of creation, and re-creation.
"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse…." (Revelation 22:1-3)*
I hope and pray you experience these times of peace and contentment, at least once in a while. Let’s always be thankful for them, for they are reminders of the promise that there are better days ahead.
I hope this helps. Be on fire.
Troy
OnFire is a letter on faith and character written by Troy Dennis. Married to Jan, Troy is a chaplain and has more than 20 years of pastoral experience. This letter published Oct 11, 2017. *New International Version. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or reply, email onfireletter@gmail.com. Blog located at www.onfireletter.blogspot.com
