Behind The Scene
"There are different kinds of working,
but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work"
- 1 Corinthians 12:6
Opening Scene:
Question to all the men here:
-How many times do you remember running back home to bring the car keys?
- How many times you forgot your phone while going out?
-How many times have you planned a trip and timed it to the T and suddenly your kid is missing the other shoe?
-How often, you're carrying something and suddenly something falls and you walk back to pick it up?
-How many times have you planned not to miss the beginning of a movie and the wife is still not sure if the sandals is matching her dress?
-How many times do you order your food at a restaurant and the waiter takes his own sweet time to bring it to the table?
-How many times does your boss's evening meeting gets stretched especially when your kids are waiting for you at home?
-How many times you keep asking God to answer your prayers, but you don't see any response from God?
Often times we are annoyed or frustrated when these things happen.
And you ask yourself:
Why does this happen to me?
Opposite Scene
Last month, my family came back from an extended holiday. They returned almost after 2.5 months and I was eagerly driving to meet 'em and especially my son who's been pining to share many things with me in person.
While driving down, I was edgy and excited and wanted to reach home as soon as I could. While on the way, I was praying to God to help me; "God, do anything to make this drive faster". It was around 8:45 am in Melbourne and was school rush hour. On my way, there were 2 traffic lights and 6 roundabouts.
Now roundabouts in Australia have one simple rule:
The Left stops for you, and you stop for the Right!
Now in my prayer, I was asking God to remove any obstacle that could slow me down. So the two traffic lights immediately turned green before I reached them. I was ecstatic! God answered my prayer!
But now the roundabouts were the real test of patience, as there was a school on the right and all roundabouts will usually be crawling with cars from the right side. But I pressed on my gas and my prayer.
You wouldn't believe it, but at EVERY roundabout I went to, there was not a single car on the right and the cars on the left were giving me the way as if to say: "Go go, meet your son! your prayers are answered!".
Every single roundabout!
I finally reached home and it was a joyful rendezvous.
Anatomy of the Scene
Now, I don't know how many minutes or seconds I saved while skipping those tiny pauses on the way, but I got to experience God's handy work in my life that could only be induced with a simple prayer and faith like a mustard seed.
Now the question I have is: How did God manage to do that?
Of course, God is sovereign, He is omniscient, He is omnipresent, etc.,
While all that is true. Still, how did God pull that off?
Just think, what happened to all the cars that were supposed to be there? did they evaporate into thin air?
No, they just reached there a little late or early just to make a tiny window for me to pass through.
Envisioning the Scene
Do you ever feel that you're part of a movie scene? that someone is directing you and people and things around you? Do you ever feel like everyone's working with a primal agenda that may work in your favour?
If you've seen any behind-the-scene clips of a movie or show and it made you wonder how it all worked out to get you that audio-visual experience?!
The chaos when they're working, the number of people holding the lights, boom mic and camera and especially in outdoor scenes, the extras who walk by, the cars that drive by, and the main character in the centre of the frame.
Between all this chaos, there is one guy who is calm, composed and concentrated and his only goal is to navigate everyone to work the way he envisioned this scene.
That is the Director.
We all have a personal 'Director' who makes you feel like you're the centre of your Scene. Don't you think?
Centre of the Scene
So next time, you're being untimely delayed even after you planned everything perfectly, remember you're sometimes the 'extra' in God's handy work.
Don't worry, you're also the centre of the same scene. There are 'others' who are going to play 'extras' for you. You just need to keep on pressing on the Gas and your Prayer.
Behind The Scene
If you read Joseph's story, there are so many instances that 'had to happen' for Joseph to be planted in Egyptian Pharos' chambers.
If you read David's story, there are so many sins that David 'had to go through' before and after God's blessings on him and end up being called the 'man after my own heart'.
If you read Daniel's story, there are so battles that 'had to happen' for Daniel to be in Lion's den to see God's full glory.
If you look at you're own story, think of all the pleasures & pain and suffering & good fortune that 'had to happen' in your life.
Aren't those the reason you are here right now? Under God's full glory!?
Now the answer to your earlier question. "Why, does this happen to me?
Because HE is behind the Scene.
