We often hear or read that history is “His story”. When we think about it, how true that is from God’s perspective.

However, God isn’t only writing, He has already written a massive story, the first page before time and the last page after the end of time. His story covers everything relating to this earth from its re-formation in Genesis 1 to its restoration in Revelation 21.

He tells us what was happening in the heavenly realm before He breathed out the first word of creation at the beginning of time. However, we must research carefully and picture the story from the snippets of information scattered throughout the Bible. This makes the story more interesting, like putting together a jigsaw puzzle to see what the big picture is about.

Let me say that I don’t have all the details of the story. Perhaps I have what I need to help us uncover the plot.

We can attach many themes to the Bible, but the one theme that stands out above others is the story of salvation – God’s plan to rescue creation from the threat of total destruction. “Creation” means, first, His human creation because we are the focus of His attention. Second, natural creation has a big part to play in His rescue plan.

‭Romans 8:20-22 NLT‬
[20] “Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, [21] the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. [22] For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”

Why does God want to rescue and restore everything He has made? Despite the horror of what has happened since sin came into the world, God still desires a human family of sons and daughters to live with Him forever and to share in the administration of His world.

He did what was necessary to deal with the sin problem… punished His own Son in our place… forgave and removed our guilt and restored in us His own presence, the Holy Spirit. He also set about restoring His image in us, distorted by a rebellious nature that demands attention and does everything to satisfy its own selfish desires, so that we become like His Son.

He supervises all our circumstances to teach us how to trust His love and to submit to His authority. He tests us, with hardships and difficulties, to examine our progress towards His goal.

Sometimes we feel like clothing in a tumble dryer, tossed around by inexplicable hardships that leave us frustrated and bewildered. Is this really God? How can I be sure that He is still in control?

The way we interpret these happenings will determine our progress towards God’s goal. Lose our trust in God and we continue to flounder in uncertainty and insecurity. Keep our eyes on the bigger picture, and our struggles fall into place, start making sense, and keep us on track with God’s plan.

Paul gives us a good rule-of-thumb to help us see things from God’s perspective…

‭Philippians 3:12-14 NLT‬
[12]”I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. [13] No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Forget what has happened in the past and what’s happening now and press on in faith and patience towards the goal of God’s perfection. He is with us in this purpose. He promised to finish what He started.

‭Philippians 1:6 NLT‬
[6]”And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

‭2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT‬
[18] “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

So, the things that happen to us only make sense when we take the long look. Today may be dark and dismal but the bad times won’t last forever. Our future is bright with God’s promise of glory in His presence in resurrected bodies and the nature of Jesus perfected in us.