The Lord brought this up to me the other day. You might think it cruel or maybe even untrue, but the Lord doesn't lie. It didn't invoke any strong feelings good or bad, but just made me think about the statement. God always was. He is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last; who was, and is, and is to come...
God is all powerful, all-knowing, all present and can do all He pleases. No one may stand in His way for His purposes will be accomplished. "...My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose," (Is. 46:10). The Lord is complete within Himself; in other words, He doesn't need man to complete Him. We are not necessary to Him.
Perhaps this is scary to consider, but I think it is a good thing to know for two basic reasons. The first is that we realize how small we (as humans) are in the grand scheme of life. It helps us to remain humble in God's service. We are but ashes and dust (Gn. 18:27). We are like vapour, breath, grass, shadows and swiftly over. (Here are only some Scriptures...)
...For what is your life? For it is a vapor, which appears for a little time, and then disappears. Jm. 4:14
Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!... Ps. 39:5 ESV & all after this
...All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 1Pt. 1:24 (also Is. 40:6)
Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow. Ps. 144:4
My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle... Job. 7:6
Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!... Ps. 39:5 ESV & all after this
...All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 1Pt. 1:24 (also Is. 40:6)
Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow. Ps. 144:4
My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle... Job. 7:6
The other thing is, we all want to feel special, important and indispensable because it makes us feel good, wanted, powerful, and like only we can do certain tasks or do them better than others. (As I pondered my 'unnecessity', it was actually a somewhat liberating.) See, He could use anyone He wants to so it doesn't have to be us. His kingdom will still advance if we aren't doing His will because what He wants will be accomplished (Is. 46:10; 55:11); He can always find someone else to do the job... like a donkey (Nm. 22:28+) or a raven (1Kn. 17:6) or a Samaritan (Lk. 10:33+).
This means that if I mess up in sharing the Gospel, accomplishing a task, or showing His light to others, He will use another person to fill in the void so that His will will ultimately be done. It takes some of the pressure off me. It certainly doesn't make me want to sit back and let everyone else do it. I am honoured that He desires to be with me, work with me and allow me to help further His kingdom. Our lives are so fleeting it amazes me that He invests so much time in us and that even though we mess up so often, He still wants to use us as His vessels for His glory. Wow! What an opportunity!
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,
do all to the glory of God.
1Cr. 10:31
Lord, You continue to amaze me...