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Romans:  Caution! God at Work

Romans 8:26-39

July 24, 2005

1. You all know about road signs, don’t you? We see them everywhere! They’ve been developed to bring order to the chaos we encounter every day. They contain information that can literally save our lives! There are octagonal red stop signs, triangular white with red yield signs, round yellow railroad crossing signs, school-house-shaped yellow signs that warn of school zones, and squares or rectangles white signs that give information. And there’s one more – the orange diamond shape that warn of something ahead – construction or hazards. This is the one we’re going to consider today. And what is the warning? CAUTION – GOD AT WORK.

2. Paul writes that God is always at work. "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose." If you followed along in your Bible, and it didn’t read quite the same, that’s a good clue that this is another one of those difficult-to-translate sentences. Paul is a deep thinker, and sometimes doesn’t finish one thought before he interrupts himself with another. Paul’s thoughts on this subject actually began a couple of paragraphs ago – when he said we are indebted to God for God’s life-giving Spirit. And he continues in that vein, "all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God." Then he writes about the sufferings of this present time, how they cannot even compare to the glory that awaits us. God’s purpose is to ultimately redeem all of creation. That is surely good news! It will all work out in the end. However, I need something more practical, less end-of-time, a bit more "here and now." Over and over, though, the "here and now" can be filled with pain.

3. The idea of having to endure pain or loss is never pleasant. Pain and loss add little to the meaning of life. Most of us would do anything to keep our lives running smoothly, wouldn’t we? I sure would! I have not enjoyed the painful periods of my life. And it’s often during those ages of anguish that I ask myself "What in the world is God doing!" Haven’t you asked yourself that question? Probably so! And what was your answer? Your answer likely fell into one or the other of two different schools of thought. People who see God’s hands at work in current events say God works either as a puppeteer or a master builder.

4. Those who see God as a puppeteer believe God is somewhat distant and very controlling. Remember the movie The Sound of Music? There is a scene where Maria and the children perform a puppet show for the Captain and his fiancé. They built a stage, and somewhere found an adorable marionette goat herder and a lovely maid and some goats. Maria and the children stand above the stage and manipulate the puppets, and since they know exactly how the story goes, they can make them do exactly what they’re supposed to do. So, when those who see God as a puppeteer say GOD IS IN CONTROL, they often believe God has predetermined every move and every decision each person will do or make during a lifetime, much like Maria and the children. They forget that God gave humans the freedom to make their own choices. So, when something bad happens to a person, people with this point of view believe the bad things happen because God wanted them to happen so that a certain outcome would . . . come out.

5. The other, and opposite, view, sees God as a master builder, a construction expert. This God is not high above human life, but instead is right smack in the middle of it. This God gets those Divine hands dirty working alongside people to straighten out the messes they find themselves in. And there are plenty of messes! There is chaos around every corner – bombings, hurricanes, mechanical failures that end in plane crashes or car crashes or train crashes or dirigible crashes. Buildings collapse, people get sick, relationships grow sour and disintegrate. Bad things happen. Bad things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to good people, too.

6. Last week I saw how bad it can be for good people. I was watching Extreme Makeover – Home Edition. It featured a family of four – father and mother who obviously loved each other very much, and two sons, one about 17, and another maybe 10 years old. Sounds normal enough, until I tell you that both the father and mother are deaf. Cannot hear; cannot really speak. They just utter sounds. And the 10-year old is autistic. Autism is a disorder, probably genetic, which can cause blindness, hearing disorders, retardation, lack of social skills. It’s pretty devastating. My step-mother’s granddaughter is autistic, and I’ve been around her just enough to know how difficult it is on the family. So here we have parents who can only communicate through sign language, and a child who cannot see who has this penchant for leaving the house and getting lost. Scary situation! Enter the 17-year-old, the only one in the family who is normal. He has pretty much reared his little brother; his parents totally depend on him. But it’s about time for him to graduate from high school – all the other kids his age are making plans for the future, but he will have to stay home and take care of his family. This family portrait is not a pretty one!

7. In fact, this picture looks so bad it’s hard to imagine any good could come out of it. Where is God in this picture? Was God up above it all, pulling the strings to make all the people do exactly what God had pre-determined? I don’t think so! A very caring person decided to get involved. I don’t know anything about that "very caring person." I missed that part of the show. I don’t know if that person was overtly religious, or not. But somewhere deep inside that person was a vision of what God wanted for people. He (or she) called on the Extreme Makeover crew. They rebuilt the house so it would be safe for everyone, and then gave the older son a $50,000 scholarship so he could go to the college of his choice. God had to work overtime on that one! You see, because these people are in God’s own hands, things finally resolved into good. The love of God lived in that family, and in the Extreme Makeover crew, and in the person who brought them together. God was at work. God brought order out of the chaos.

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