Do you remember that dread you would feel when you walked into a classroom, only to hear the teacher say those fateful words, 'Time for a pop quiz.' It was in times like those that I asked God the hard questions in prayer, 'Why, God, do bad things happen to good-looking people? Why?'
This dread was matched only by the big test that loomed. You know, the one you knew you had no chance of passing unless you checked out of life and studied for 4 months. The only other possible hope you had was if the teacher decided to grade on a curve and all the nerds were sick...or if something were slipped into their lunch.
Well, that dread has returned to my home. My boy, a high achieving first-grader, is already seeing his future shrivel before his eyes as he thinks about his test today.
Luke (with tears in his eyes): Dad, I have a test tomorrow.
Dad: So, how hard can your work be?
Luke: The teacher said she's going to put stuff in there that she hasn't taught us.
Dad: She said that?
Luke: No, but I know she will, stuff like calculus and trigonometry and memorizing all the elements on the periodic table.
Dad: Do you know what any of those words mean?
Destined to fail, and sure that God has abandoned him, we went round and round with this conversation. I ended up telling him some psycho-babble about mom and dad always being proud of him. But what I should have said was this;
The prophet Haggai was going back and forth with the people about obedience and consequences. When he shows them the clear connection he gives them God's own words. "From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid" (Haggai 2:18).
I don't know why but I find it interesting when a God who is outside of time, mentions a day like that. This isn't a festival day or a national birthday. It's 9/24. But for anyone who has ever wondered about God and whether He pays attention to what is going on down here, they should read this verse. This isn't just a specific verse being written about in the Bible. This is a day, month and day, spoken of by God to man.
This is for anyone who has ever asked if God was watching. Does God care? Does God see? Does He even know?
The answer is yes. Absolutely yes. For whatever reason, God finds you significant. I don't know what kind of calendar He may keep up there. My guess is that it's a fund raising calendar with pictures drawn by Thomas Kinkade himself. Whatever it is, He's keeping track of the date. And more importantly, He's keeping track of us and the dates we find important.
The only conclusion I can come to is that He's very involved with us. Keep that in mind the next time you have a math test.
This dread was matched only by the big test that loomed. You know, the one you knew you had no chance of passing unless you checked out of life and studied for 4 months. The only other possible hope you had was if the teacher decided to grade on a curve and all the nerds were sick...or if something were slipped into their lunch.
Well, that dread has returned to my home. My boy, a high achieving first-grader, is already seeing his future shrivel before his eyes as he thinks about his test today.
Luke (with tears in his eyes): Dad, I have a test tomorrow.
Dad: So, how hard can your work be?
Luke: The teacher said she's going to put stuff in there that she hasn't taught us.
Dad: She said that?
Luke: No, but I know she will, stuff like calculus and trigonometry and memorizing all the elements on the periodic table.
Dad: Do you know what any of those words mean?
Destined to fail, and sure that God has abandoned him, we went round and round with this conversation. I ended up telling him some psycho-babble about mom and dad always being proud of him. But what I should have said was this;
The prophet Haggai was going back and forth with the people about obedience and consequences. When he shows them the clear connection he gives them God's own words. "From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid" (Haggai 2:18).
I don't know why but I find it interesting when a God who is outside of time, mentions a day like that. This isn't a festival day or a national birthday. It's 9/24. But for anyone who has ever wondered about God and whether He pays attention to what is going on down here, they should read this verse. This isn't just a specific verse being written about in the Bible. This is a day, month and day, spoken of by God to man.
This is for anyone who has ever asked if God was watching. Does God care? Does God see? Does He even know?
The answer is yes. Absolutely yes. For whatever reason, God finds you significant. I don't know what kind of calendar He may keep up there. My guess is that it's a fund raising calendar with pictures drawn by Thomas Kinkade himself. Whatever it is, He's keeping track of the date. And more importantly, He's keeping track of us and the dates we find important.
The only conclusion I can come to is that He's very involved with us. Keep that in mind the next time you have a math test.
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