However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”—the things God has prepared for those who love him—these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:9-10, NIV)
As the NFL season has begun, my viewing eyes have been pushed toward features on fan caves, those hobbyists’ delights where every corner of the room is decked out in the colors and accessories of the fan’s favorite team. Paint is cheap, as are televisions, beer mugs, and banners, relatively speaking. But start adding custom furniture, autographed jerseys behind glass, and commemorative Super Bowl footballs, and you start hearing cha-ching echoing around the room.
All of which leads me to wonder, as the countdown to this year’s event moves to single digits, whether certain Ryder Cup fans have similar rooms and just what it takes to convince someone to paint a room in those bright Euro colors.
Some fans will get up for any game, maybe even for replays of old games. But when competitions like golf’s cup matches, and especially the Ryder Cup, come around only every other year, the buildup can be massive.
God will have his glory, but he will have it in his time.
Still, always lying in the background of what can be spectated and cheered on earth is the work of God—greater, Paul told the Corinthians, than anything any mind has ever conceived.
Why is this so? How can we miss something this big?
First of all, we should not be discouraged that we are no good at seeing all God is doing around us and ahead of us. If we were able to conceive of all God’s handiwork, he would be no more imaginative or capable than we are. We don’t want a god we call great who is no more than equal to us.
Second, as Paul says here, and as we read in so many accounts in the Old Testament, God’s mightiest works are often invisible. Even Jesus frequently directed those he had healed to say nothing of what he had done. God will have his glory, but he will have it in his time. We do best to remember God’s ever present unmatchable work but not to force it into the open.
Finally, even the invisible should lead us to thanksgiving if we are trusting Paul’s words and the promise of God. A local pastor friend, Joe Pettit III, writes devotional thoughts to his congregation daily. Recently he reminded them that “while the race might have its own excitement, it is what lies at God’s finish line that makes it all worthwhile.” Often we thank God for what he has already done, but if what is to come is brightly made by him as well, we can rejoice in the future he is preparing because we love him. Look forward with anticipatory thanksgiving and we won’t miss what God gives us to thank him for.
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Jeff Hopper
September 14, 2021
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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