God in the details

Here is the story behind that caption 

There is not one moment in which we breath or sleep that he is absent.  Every sustaining breath is evidence of his sovereign presence.  Every moment that he is not acknowledged in our human conversations he is there.  When we entertain ourselves he is there. When we deny his very existence and love he is there.  In perfect sync with eternity he is ever present and available... even when we are not.

In the small breeze that sways the smallest flowers. In the tiniest bubbling air pockets surfacing from beneath the sandy shores. In the subtle trickling creak waters of the forest.  In the sun rays that filter through an empty attic, those that fill the California Redwood forest and at the end of a tropical rainstorm. In the animal mimicking flower and the almost naked-to-the-eye-sized gnat. In the swaying tree shadows at night.  In the faint distant sounds of ocean waves. In the dramatic lightening storms and the distant thunders rumbling ever so faintly in the quiet of the night. In the small dancing raindrops just before they descend from flower buds, flowers, stems and leaves. A vastly extensive multi-volume walking encyclopedia we would all be if we were to hold an ongoing conversation listing God in the details. There is no place where his finger prints have not intricately shaped and formed it all.  The unexplainable complexities and sophisticated masterful  works of the Creator has no equal and cannot be fully understood by his most prized creation: us humans.

Riding on the ripples of his grace and breathing in every moment of life, we do so in his sovereign mercy.  Through tears of joy and  sighs of bereaved disappointments and pain, his outstretched mercy holds us.  There are times we are lonely because we think we are literally alone.  And yet, it's only in those times our young hearts do not understand the entire amplitude of his presence.  Because if we did, lonely would not be in our vocabulary.

If we were to paint what his mercy looks like, the one that understands it the most would create a dizzying portrait of every detail representing every second of life.  A labrynthian masterpiece never finished but always expanding.  He's in every minutiae of sadness and joy.  In every exhilarating accomplishment and challenging set back.  He orchestrates every process of man's plans determining every moment-by-moment.  He makes the human connections and solidifies every effort.  There is no life moment where his finger prints have no impact.  From rebellious lifestyles to seeking the face of God.  From angry reactions to obedient actions.  

Many of us were raised with the mindset that a good life is that of pursuing what we want for ourselves. "You can do whatever you want because you can accomplish whatever you put your mind to," it's been said.  "Whatever makes you happy and whatever you love most. Pursue and work hard at it because that is what gives you a fulfilling and prosperous life." In the church and outside of the church.  It's a never ending broken record around the world. But in the end we can never succeed in denying his presence in our every moment and with every sustaining breath.  None of us are powerful enough to live and breath outside of his sovereign hand.  God is in the details.  All of them.

There are so many verses that apply. But here are some that have been in my heart since first grade.  Since 1982. When my mom set me on a course to memorize Psalm 139.  God tells us to hide his Word in our hearts. That has not been fully accomplished. But with this passage, yes. While in my humanity and finite mind I do not have the full understanding of God's love for me, I never question that he does.  My hope is that you also find joy in embracing God in [all] the details.

Psalm 139

O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.
...Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!