Monday, June 9, 2014
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If you've never been to a symphony, let me give you a little advice. Don't leave during the first few minutes. See, the musicians are tuning up during that time, and it doesn't sound like anything you'd want to stay for. That's not what the whole concert is going to be like. You might say to yourself, "Man, if this is going to be like this, I'm out of here. Is this what I paid for?"
Well, I'll tell you, those first few minutes are not a pretty sound. You've got all these violins, flutes, etc. playing scales and different notes and different times. Some of it's on key, occasionally some of it isn't. It's totally uncoordinated tones. It sounds like musical chaos; not like a musical concert.
Then suddenly the conductor taps his baton on the music stand. Those musicians all snap into an all ready position, and the conductor begins conducting. And all those instruments that were making noise a minute ago are suddenly together making music—beautiful music.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Symphony Countdown."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Romans 8:28-29; familiar words trusted by saints for 20 centuries, "And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son." Or in the familiar words of the King James Version, "He works all things together for good."
That word that's translated "working together" is the Greek word sunergeó. We get our word synergy from that. Literally working together, pulling all these random things together into one harmonious whole. Now, when I read that in the Greek, this sunergeó-ing taking place, an orchestra popped into my mind. I mean, God is working on a symphony in your life; bringing in all the instruments. It's a beautiful masterpiece.
But right now maybe it just looks pretty chaotic. It's more like discord than harmony right now.
See, this is the symphony countdown. This isn't the end result. This is the preparation for the playing of the masterpiece. God's preparing all these separate instruments first. They're tuning up. Things aren't fitting together yet. He hasn't tapped his baton yet and started conducting it into one symphony. But it is just like a symphony, so don't leave while the instruments are still tuning up. Right now God is getting each instrument of His will ready for you and you ready for each instrument. The only reason it isn't making sense yet is that it isn't concert time yet. But it will be.
Ecclesiastes says, "He makes everything beautiful in its' time." In the book of Exodus the children of Israel had waited for centuries to be liberated from Egyptian bondage. And then they waited through ten different plagues. They said, "Moses, when are we getting out of here?" And Pharaoh had played all kinds of games with them, and it looked like it would never happen. There had been false starts. There was frustration. And then on the night of the Passover, God says, "Tuck your robe between your legs so you can run fast. Don't put any yeast in your bread; it isn't going to have time to rise." And when it was all ready, the exodus moved so fast it amazed everyone. They were out in a night.
That's how God often works. It takes a while to get it ready, and then the heavenly rush of getting it all done when you think there's not even enough time to get it done. That's how it is with the symphonic processes of God.
Maybe it looks confusing right now. Maybe it looks like God's not doing anything, or He's doing something you don't like or you don't understand. Don't leave the concert yet! God is tuning up all those instruments for what will eventually come together in one glorious symphony in your life.