Tension

Has it ever occurred to you that nothing has ever occurred to God?

Where there is tension there is the potential for growth. Take a muscle for instance. You work out while tearing the muscle because of the tension you put on them with the heavy weights. What happens after that? They grow, proteins infuse in place of the tear, and they get stronger in the process. Now of course there has to be limits put on this logic. If a building's main metal structural support is put under excessive amounts of tension, it will eventually break, and the building will collapse. In the most humanistic way of rationalizing, I would say that muscle growth is good (to an extent), and buildings falling, unintentionally to the ground, is bad. But, I am not writing an article on the benefits of muscle growth, or to warn about falling buildings. The tension I want to talk about is one I believe to be providential. A providential tension put on muscle growth, and even the most detrimental building crashing to the ground, because of this unknown "tension," would make growth possible on a grand scale; in the most minute places, the most seemingly meaningless situations, for a much bigger purpose and for a much greater cause. So we must make clear with what I mean by tension, and we must make clear with what I mean by growth.

A Providential Tension

"and we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

The point I want to make about "tension" ought to be somewhat clear. God purposed the muscle to grow and the building to fall. I don't want to write a dissertation on a defense of the sovereignty of God in all things, I wouldn't want to embarrass myself. The verse above will suffice for any argument on the doctrine... Ok, so what? Who cares about a foreordination of muscle growth and buildings falling down? What does it have to do with me? Well, everything...

From a child I have been guided by God to hear, see, experience, and understand everything that He purposed to bring to past. Not only this, but He did the same thing for my parents, every single thought, Idea, and experience, of both my mom and dad. For my mom and dad to one day meet, and, later on my mother to one day birth me. Then would this drama of human life dramatically start again. Thats a pretty big picture to grasp. Think of God orchestrating the lives of 6 billion people... The thoughts, motives, actions of each individual person on earth. Figuratively, 6 trillion movements (actually more than that...) of hands, feet, mouth, etc., 6 trillion intentions and thoughts. In general just the thought of how big a trillion is enough to be awed over, but God orchestrating every nuance of that existence, WOW!!!

Now take this simple story for instance:

When the wind blew against his face while walking down the sidewalk, the man turned around to see the child fall to the ground, who had, come to find out, ran away from somewhere. He had been kidnapped and brought to another country by people he did not know. The man who had the wind blown in his face, only to avoid the bitter cold, turned around quickly, only to discover the scared kid laying hurt on the ground in pain. He then, through a series of events, contacted his parents 4000 miles away. The kid grew up to be president of the USA.

Now think of the trillions of movements, thoughts and intentions in nature and people, that were involved in leading up to that simple one second event, getting the wind blown in his face and turning quickly ultimately to discover the kid. God is sovereign over every single aspect of those things and every past event that had it's purpose in making the man turn to avoid the bitter cold. Much more then for God to cause each persons life (comprised of TRILLIONS of thoughts, actions and motives) to dramatically be intricately interwoven with another's TRILLIONS of thoughts, actions and motives... All This is under the providential "tension" or purpose of God. Causing all things to grow and function in harmony under His providential will and care.  "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will." Eph 1:11

Note that the sin of the elect that was laid on Jesus by God was exactly what God wanted... Acts 2.

Why Tension?

Do we know why muscles grow? I don't know the science, but I know it hurts and I can't walk a day later if I worked my legs out the day before though. Do I know why 911 happened? No, not the whole story. Was it devastating? Absolutely. Did some good come out of it? You better believe it. But it's tenuous to us. We look at these events and all we can see and feel is this providential tension that we cannot fully explain. Similarly, have you ever grown spiritually? If your sinner like me it probably hurt. Beating that body of sin till is bloody and bruised. It hurts!!! The body broken leaving our pride and sinful ego gasping for air...Rightly so. But, thats why I say tension. So I will define "growth" as spiritual growth in to the knowledge of God and faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So to sum up, the tension of how things work in this world, in our lives, our struggles, our love, everything, we should recognized as the grand drama of God the Sovereign, and this tension we feel will ultimately serve to the ultimate good for those who love God. Kind of like muscle growth. You work out hard, and you can't walk the next day, but your legs become stronger. Likewise we ask, "why God?", why me, why right now?!? This hurts so much, I don't understand!!!!" Well, this providential tension that we see now is the providential will of a loving Father on the other end serving for the greater good to those who love Him. Ultimately to press you deeper in to the cross of Christ... And then to live in Him... God the sovereign...

Has it ever occurred to you that nothing has ever occurred to God?

Your's in Christ,

Chris Fincher