God created the cosmos from nothing. God formed man from the dust of the earth and breathed life into him. God established an innumerable host of angels to serve as His own eternal ministers of good. God sustains the entire universe by the Word of His power. He is an awesome, glorious, immeasurable, all-wise, all-mighty conquering King of the universe and whatever exists beyond. And He says to me, “Call Me, Daddy.”
While we praise God for His creative power and marvel that He is the divine originator of every physical thing in the cosmos, there is something more startling than that. His acts of creation are majestic but the present creation is to be completely done away with at some predetermined point and replaced. No, physical creation is not His crowning accomplishment, as majestic as we find it. There is another work which is accomplished by Abba that can never be undone and will never need to be redone. I write of His work of redemption. The Psalmist described it this way:
“He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap.” – Psalm 113:7
The Eternal Creator has (countless times over) stooped in grace at the pitiful, plaintive cry of some burdened soul in order to lift them out of their self-made much and raise them to safety and hope. This is not some casual, random act of God but, rather, His chief demonstration of who He is. While the astounding display of the physical creation speaks clearly of His power, His commitment to redemption speaks to us of His infinite heart. This great Father is a God of compassion, mercy, love and faithfulness. Does He thunder in righteous judgment? Yes, and He will again. Does He punish evildoing in His own time? Indeed, and all who have done evil might well tremble. Will He ultimately purge all rebellion and sin by the promised, not-yet-seen destruction? He cannot but to do so for He has promised this. Yet when we look carefully at what He has said in His book we cannot deny that this God of the Scriptures has welcomed any and all who will believe in Him to experience exemption from the coming judgment. He has promised a final justice yet, do not forget, that He has offered a comprehensive pardon for anyone who will trust Him. Anyone. There is no need to fear because the strong and mighty hand that will ultimately crash down the final gavel is also the hand which presently raises the poor and lifts the needy from the ash heap.
Those who have experienced the lifting need never fear the failing of it to sustain. Those who have been caught by grace must never doubt His power to finish what He began. Those who sense intermittent agony over how unfit they presently are for Heaven must resolve to remember that He will give the final death-blow to all that is presently lacking in them. He is the Potter with unlimited supplies to perfectly accomplish what He purposefully began. Redemption has commenced for you but you surely know it is not yet complete. Wait for your Redeemer to show you His finished product. Until that moment comes, trust that His design includes a final coat of shine which cannot help but to be applied on your behalf – that shine will never fade nor dim nor corrupt. The biblical writers call that shine glory – and it is the destiny of all who have tasted of the bread of Life. He loves you far too much to come up short, friend.
He’s an Artist and never wearies of the canvas on His easel.
And then there are those days when it seems the Artist has a chisel in His hand rather than the brush. Thankfully, He is equally competent with either.