A couple weeks ago, I had a conversation with two professors and we wondered together how God was going to use one of our guests in chapel. What would God say to us through them?
During the course of the conversation, I said something — maybe in an attempt to ease my mind as much as to come up with a response. In a moment of inspiration, I made this statement: “Bigger hands are shaping this semester than mine.” It was intended to be a statement of faith, but is one I believe has become a reality to us.
Since then, I’ve thought about that conversation and my response several times. I’ve actually used that phrase often, maybe with some of you. The further we move into the semester, the more profound it has become to me — not because I said it, but because it is true. The evidence is right in front of us, again showing up this week through three of our own faculty and two alumni.
Bigger hands have been shaping this semester than mine — than all of ours. This is a not-so-subtle reminder that we aren’t in charge. God is, and He will do what He will do, when He wants to do it. We can plan, pray, and do everything we can, but ultimately, this is His. We believe that God is ever-present, but it has been apparent to me, and many of you, that He has chosen to be close to us as well.
Yet in the midst of saying that, we need to also be reminded that He sees us; He sees you and me. He is aware of the deepest desires of our hearts. As we seek Him, He wants us to not only find Him (Jeremiah 29:13), but find those desires met.
I had this conversation with a student just this week, reminding him that God doesn’t jerk us around, doesn’t play games with us concerning the things that matter most. He desires to shape us, helping us to experience life that is more than we could ever imagine in our wildest dreams (Ephesians 3:20, The Message Translation).
So, the question of the semester remains: What will you do with what God has placed in your hands?
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