Thursday, May 29, 2008
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Okay, let's do a little word association here. Persian - what do you think of? Ah - cat? You might have thought of cat. When I hear the word Persian, I think rug - which they don't make out of cats. I've never owned a Persian rug, and I probably never will, but I've sure seen them. And you know it's much more than a carpet, I mean, it's a work of art! Years ago Amy Carmichael wrote about the incredible process that produces these masterpieces. Try to picture this. She described two sets of workmen sitting on a bench on one side of the carpet which is hanging from a beam up above. The designer stands on the other side, he's holding a pattern in his hand and he directs the workers by calling across to them exactly what they're supposed to do next. It's like a chant actually. And then the workman chants back to the designer the word that he's heard; verifying the order. Then the workman cuts from whatever bobbin has been ordered, and he pushes that thread through the carpet warp and knots it. Now, all he can see is that one thread. He sees nothing of that pattern until the carpet's finished. That's all in the designers hands. But when he finally sees what all these commands and all these threads have made, wow!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Tapestry and the Threads."
Let's take a peek at what The Designer is up to - our word for today from the Word of God, Romans 8:28, "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him who have been called according to His purpose." Now, in His hands is the pattern - what the masterpiece will look like when it's finished, and it's beautiful. But He's the only one that can see that whole pattern. He said in Jeremiah, "I know the plans I have for you. They are plans for good and not for evil." It says, "As for God, His way is perfect," in the Bible. Oh, it's going to be beautiful, it's going to be good. He's working out the eternal tapestry for your life. But we're just like those workmen, we can't see the pattern. All we see is the next thread. Our job: Romans 8:14 says, "Those who are led by the Spirit of God, are the sons of God." Our job is to be led. How? Psalm 119:133 gives us a clue, "Direct my footsteps according to Your Word." The next step - the next thread - He shows me from His Word what the next step is.
The designer is on the other side giving directions that will bring me one step, one thread closer to the grand design. Some of those threads are dark, some don't make sense, some don't seem to fit the pattern, some look wrong to me, but I'm just a workman. My job is to trust the designer, not to try to understand every order. Those Persian workers choose nothing; they leave every choice to the designer. Their responsibility is simply to listen and obey. So is ours.
Today is another thread in the tapestry. Your mission, fellow weaver, is to check with the Lord frequently, consult His Word faithfully, and listen for His inner Spirit promptings regularly. It's not your mission to know or understand where all this is going. But the grand, macro-will of God for your earth journey is made up of thousands of micro wills, thousands of little obediences - "go there, call this person, write this, listen to this, take this step, read this verse." Threads that ultimately make the tapestry.
Occasionally God will let you stand back from your weaving to see a piece of the grand design, and when you've had a glimpse of what He's making, hasn't it been incredible? But most days, the designer just asks you to keep weaving threads. Some you like, some you don't like, some you're thankful for, some you would never choose. But keep listening. Keep doing what the designer says. One day you will stand back with the Master Designer and you will see the masterpiece you have woven together with His direction and your faithful obediences.