Billions of Details and the Infinite God
Billions of Details and the Infinite God
“The years teach much the days never know.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
ATTENTION: Attention, please! Things are always after our attention. Details overwhelm circumstances every day. Things cry out to us: feed me, pay me, buy me, notice me, listen to me, put me first, give me, love me, talk with me, trust me, play with me, worry about me… and a myriad of other requests every day we open our eyes and face the world we inhabit.
Demands in the details require our attention, focus, hard work, and planning. Sometimes we get so bogged down by these needs that we lose sleep, resort to manipulation, lose our temper, and relinquish our ability to spend time with those we hold dear or have committed to love. We are stressed to our limits by the busyness of giving our attention to a variety of areas, even when that attention takes the form of occupying our minds with anxiety about their satisfaction. We think, we suppose, we worry and infer the situational matrices of what will require our attention next. We also worry about how much attention we need to give in response. Sooner or later, we come to understand that we cannot meet all the demands on our attention. Fortunately for us, the infinite, Almighty God of the universe is aware of and in control of billions of details, and He weaves them together in His perfect timing, for His perfect will.
With so many details demanding our attention and efforts each day, it is easy to get caught up in the minutiae of satisfying them. When we get in the habit of living our lives through our own efforts to accomplish and satisfy the needs of attention we have thrust upon us, we find that our hearts eventually run cold and our cups eventually run dry. We also find that our resources have limits; our power is finite, and our time to accomplish these things is short. It is in these moments when our hope in the infinitely powerful Lord must reign supreme. The Lord who created everything, who measured the heavens with the span of his hand, is truly in control, even as the world seems to overflow with chaos. Our viewpoint, shaped by the demands we face, colors our perspective and focuses our presuppositions on confusion.
Seeking the Thrice-Omni God
When we focus on understanding the situations of attention in the immediacy of circumstance, we confuse our infinite nature in the Lord and our finite being in a sinful world. Our abilities and adequacy rest on God’s limitless power; therefore, we have infinite resources in seeking the Lord. When we focus on Him through our times and trials, we find unending levels of compassion and provision. We recall where we have come from and the promise of what lies ahead because of his grace. We recognize his loving hand working through circumstances and people.
Often, in the present circumstances of needs and attention, we cannot see the larger picture, because it is difficult to comprehend what the Lord is doing in the very moment He does it. We can see slivers of possibility and truth, but in order to see the unfurled majesty encompassing the details of reality, it must be defined by what He has done. The finite human mind cannot comprehend the all-encompassing sovereign mind of the King of Kings. God is always up to much more than we can see and is infinitely working in ways far beyond our comprehension.
In the moment and looking to the future, it can be hard to understand. Living in the faith, hope, and trust we profess is never easy, but its foundation is solid in His omnipotence — He weaves billions of details together to accomplish His will. The Almighty’s limitless power is the only strength we can depend on amid the variables we face every day. This is the essence of our seeking Him.
He is the God of the details. The mathematical wizard of the universe; taking unknown amounts of variable details, and using them mystically to abundantly add, subtract and multiply the majesty of his will on earth. He perfects every outcome of every atom in the cosmos. There is not a maverick molecule, nor a moment misused in history. Even in the face of evil’s existence, the scheming of the Devil and the ugliness of sin, no action is beyond the realm of what He uses to bring infinite good into our hearts. Who we are is directly connected to his infinite ability, his limitless love, and his unending grace.
The Good of His Purpose
Amid so many variables, we must understand ourselves and the Father’s provision through the perspective of the past. As we know from the story of Joseph, the circumstances of the moment are often too overwhelming to understand on their own, and we must trust them to the Lord, as He works out the details to the end of His purpose. This is no easy task when we are caught up in anger, bitterness, and the disillusionment of the moment, amid pragmatic thoughts about situational metrics. This is where Joseph’s story gives us insight for our present and future.
God used things that seemed bad to bring about the good of His purpose. Joseph was trapped in a pit and sold into slavery; yet God used the evil intentions of his brothers to take Joseph to a new place for him to be used for the Lord’s purpose. He rose to authority in Potiphar’s house, and though he was wrongfully imprisoned because of accusations and intended harm, the Lord took him again to a place where he could be used. Once in prison, he again rose to a position of authority, and even after he interpreted the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker, he still waited two years for the circumstances to be right before he was brought into the palace.
While Joseph was in the pit, there was no means of understanding the palace. While he was in prison, there was no justice for the false accusations or reparation for someone who had wronged him. After serving in interpreting dreams, his circumstances did not change for two years. His only comfort was the Lord’s presence and His promise to be with him through the melancholy rollercoaster of emotions and situations.
Joseph knew that through life’s promotions and demotions, the authority given and stripped away, the unwarranted vengeance of men and women, and his service to the Lord of Hosts, the Lord was with him. He knew that the Lord rules and overrules in the lives of men and women, even those hard-hearted to his purpose. His sovereignty is full and all-encompassing. Both providentially and concurrently, the Lord’s sovereign will comes to fruition in the world.
Faithful in Every Generation
In providence, the Almighty acts to bring about his will on earth and in the hearts of humanity. In concurrence, his will acts in conjunction with man’s to achieve his purpose. Billions of details align at the word of the Lord. He is the Creator and master of the universe, who answers each need of attention perfectly and in perfect timing. Our infinite ability to seek Him in our need is our mainstay as we wait for Him. Our limitless adequacy is fulfilled in his sustenance as we acknowledge our needs to Him.
We must seek Him amid the details of the moment. As Joseph found, God was waiting to send him into a situation which had been ripened to perfection by the hand of the Father. Had Joseph been freed from prison sooner, the circumstances would not have been so paramount for the possibilities ahead. We learn things from the pit to the prison which we need in the palace. The waiting room of the Almighty is where our hearts are molded and perfected.
Most of the time, we do not understand in the present moments of our circumstances the billions of details the Lord works on every moment for the good of billions of people, according to his will. This is the essence of what C.S. Lewis said when he penned, “…the first two words when we reach heaven will be, ‘of course!’” Today, we view the present of perfection from our limited space and time, and we can only understand it through the past. We must learn to trust the God of promise who takes us from the pit to the palace, rather than rely on our own understanding.
The Lord has promised us the infiniteness of his presence as we experience His will in the world. He is doing exceedingly, abundantly more than we can ask or imagine. We know that He is faithful to all generations. In light of that, let us seek Him in our moments of struggle. When we find ourselves in the pit, let us remember that His presence is with us; His provision prepares the path through billions of details crying out for attention. Let us be faithful to the Sovereign Lord of the universe. Let us seek Him as we wait for his perfection. Let our hope remain strong through the ups and downs of our experience in the world. He who was, is, and is to come controls every detail of every life across every generation.
Originally written and published on April 3, 2009, for “The Community.”
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Billions of Details and the Infinite God
― Stephen Ambrose
ATTENTION: Attention, please! Things are always after our attention. Details overwhelm circumstances every day. Things cry out to us: feed me, pay me, buy me, notice me, listen to me, put me first, give me, love me, talk with me, trust me, play with me, worry about me… and a myriad of other requests every day we open our eyes and face the world we inhabit.
Demands in the details require our attention, focus, hard work, and planning. Sometimes we get so bogged down by these needs that we lose sleep, resort to manipulation, lose our temper, and relinquish our ability to spend time with those we hold dear or have committed to love. We are stressed to our limits by the busyness of giving our attention to a variety of areas, even when that attention takes the form of occupying our minds with anxiety about their satisfaction. We think, we suppose, we worry and infer the situational matrices of what will require our attention next. We also worry about how much attention we need to give in response. Sooner or later, we come to understand that we cannot meet all the demands on our attention. Fortunately for us, the infinite, Almighty God of the universe is aware of and in control of billions of details, and He weaves them together in His perfect timing, for His perfect will.
With so many details demanding our attention and efforts each day, it is easy to get caught up in the minutiae of satisfying them. When we get in the habit of living our lives through our own efforts to accomplish and satisfy the needs of attention we have thrust upon us, we find that our hearts eventually run cold and our cups eventually run dry. We also find that our resources have limits; our power is finite, and our time to accomplish these things is short. It is in these moments when our hope in the infinitely powerful Lord must reign supreme. The Lord who created everything, who measured the heavens with the span of his hand, is truly in control, even as the world seems to overflow with chaos. Our viewpoint, shaped by the demands we face, colors our perspective and focuses our presuppositions on confusion.
Seeking the Thrice-Omni God
When we focus on understanding the situations of attention in the immediacy of circumstance, we confuse our infinite nature in the Lord and our finite being in a sinful world. Our abilities and adequacy rest on God’s limitless power; therefore, we have infinite resources in seeking the Lord. When we focus on Him through our times and trials, we find unending levels of compassion and provision. We recall where we have come from and the promise of what lies ahead because of his grace. We recognize his loving hand working through circumstances and people.
Often, in the present circumstances of needs and attention, we cannot see the larger picture, because it is difficult to comprehend what the Lord is doing in the very moment He does it. We can see slivers of possibility and truth, but in order to see the unfurled majesty encompassing the details of reality, it must be defined by what He has done. The finite human mind cannot comprehend the all-encompassing sovereign mind of the King of Kings. God is always up to much more than we can see and is infinitely working in ways far beyond our comprehension.
In the moment and looking to the future, it can be hard to understand. Living in the faith, hope, and trust we profess is never easy, but its foundation is solid in His omnipotence — He weaves billions of details together to accomplish His will. The Almighty’s limitless power is the only strength we can depend on amid the variables we face every day. This is the essence of our seeking Him.
He is the God of the details. The mathematical wizard of the universe; taking unknown amounts of variable details, and using them mystically to abundantly add, subtract and multiply the majesty of his will on earth. He perfects every outcome of every atom in the cosmos. There is not a maverick molecule, nor a moment misused in history. Even in the face of evil’s existence, the scheming of the Devil and the ugliness of sin, no action is beyond the realm of what He uses to bring infinite good into our hearts. Who we are is directly connected to his infinite ability, his limitless love, and his unending grace.
The Good of His Purpose
Amid so many variables, we must understand ourselves and the Father’s provision through the perspective of the past. As we know from the story of Joseph, the circumstances of the moment are often too overwhelming to understand on their own, and we must trust them to the Lord, as He works out the details to the end of His purpose. This is no easy task when we are caught up in anger, bitterness, and the disillusionment of the moment, amid pragmatic thoughts about situational metrics. This is where Joseph’s story gives us insight for our present and future.
God used things that seemed bad to bring about the good of His purpose. Joseph was trapped in a pit and sold into slavery; yet God used the evil intentions of his brothers to take Joseph to a new place for him to be used for the Lord’s purpose. He rose to authority in Potiphar’s house, and though he was wrongfully imprisoned because of accusations and intended harm, the Lord took him again to a place where he could be used. Once in prison, he again rose to a position of authority, and even after he interpreted the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker, he still waited two years for the circumstances to be right before he was brought into the palace.
While Joseph was in the pit, there was no means of understanding the palace. While he was in prison, there was no justice for the false accusations or reparation for someone who had wronged him. After serving in interpreting dreams, his circumstances did not change for two years. His only comfort was the Lord’s presence and His promise to be with him through the melancholy rollercoaster of emotions and situations.
Joseph knew that through life’s promotions and demotions, the authority given and stripped away, the unwarranted vengeance of men and women, and his service to the Lord of Hosts, the Lord was with him. He knew that the Lord rules and overrules in the lives of men and women, even those hard-hearted to his purpose. His sovereignty is full and all-encompassing. Both providentially and concurrently, the Lord’s sovereign will comes to fruition in the world.
Faithful in Every Generation
In providence, the Almighty acts to bring about his will on earth and in the hearts of humanity. In concurrence, his will acts in conjunction with man’s to achieve his purpose. Billions of details align at the word of the Lord. He is the Creator and master of the universe, who answers each need of attention perfectly and in perfect timing. Our infinite ability to seek Him in our need is our mainstay as we wait for Him. Our limitless adequacy is fulfilled in his sustenance as we acknowledge our needs to Him.
We must seek Him amid the details of the moment. As Joseph found, God was waiting to send him into a situation which had been ripened to perfection by the hand of the Father. Had Joseph been freed from prison sooner, the circumstances would not have been so paramount for the possibilities ahead. We learn things from the pit to the prison which we need in the palace. The waiting room of the Almighty is where our hearts are molded and perfected.
Most of the time, we do not understand in the present moments of our circumstances the billions of details the Lord works on every moment for the good of billions of people, according to his will. This is the essence of what C.S. Lewis said when he penned, “…the first two words when we reach heaven will be, ‘of course!’” Today, we view the present of perfection from our limited space and time, and we can only understand it through the past. We must learn to trust the God of promise who takes us from the pit to the palace, rather than rely on our own understanding.
The Lord has promised us the infiniteness of his presence as we experience His will in the world. He is doing exceedingly, abundantly more than we can ask or imagine. We know that He is faithful to all generations. In light of that, let us seek Him in our moments of struggle. When we find ourselves in the pit, let us remember that His presence is with us; His provision prepares the path through billions of details crying out for attention. Let us be faithful to the Sovereign Lord of the universe. Let us seek Him as we wait for his perfection. Let our hope remain strong through the ups and downs of our experience in the world. He who was, is, and is to come controls every detail of every life across every generation.