God’s Tapestry

‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 

Matthew 10:7

Most people think of the Bible as a religious book, but it is really a testament, a covenant between a King and His people. It is amazing that God wants us to know His heart, what His will and intent  is. That is why the Bible was written- so we would have a record of what God did to make us His very own.  The Kingdom of God is already in our midst, Jesus said. We are part of his royal family, as we are children of the King. Myles Munroe, an evangelist, once said that God had a colonization project. He wanted to expand His kingdom, to make earth a colony of heaven. Are we doing our part as God's children to bring His plan about?

His ways are definitely not our ways. Instead of giving us good times, prosperity, no problems, God uses pandemics, inflation, cancer, wars, insecurities, sickness and oh so many kinds of challenges. It’s not because He caused these calamities and upheavals, but because God gave man the very special gift of free will. We are free to choose whether to believe Him or not, to follow Him or not, to take Him seriously or not. Whether we see Him or not, He is God with us, He is with us in our journey, most especially when it is hard. 

He sees what we do not see. In the Château d'Angers in west-central France, there is a very special tapestry entitled Apocalypse. It is a 140 meters long by six meters high spread featuring 90 scenes from the Book of Revelation and woven in colorful and intricate thread. Making a tapestry involves a very complex technique of weaving colored weft threads through plain warp threads. When we see the tapestry, we will be amazed at the depth of detail, and shades of colorings depicting the war between angels and beasts, death and destruction ending in the victory of good versus evil. But if we see the underside, it would be not make sense at all. It is a mess! We would have no idea what is on the right side! 

Here is one of Corrie Ten Boom’s favorite poems. Corrie survived the terrors of three concentration camps during the Holocaust. This poem which she always quotes in her speeches around the world was written by Benjamin Malachi Franklin. 

Life is But a Weaving

My life is but a weaving
Between my God and me.
I cannot choose the colors
He weaveth steadily.

Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow;
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I the underside.

Not ‘til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas
And reveal the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful
In the weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.

He knows, He loves, He cares;
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives the very best to those
Who leave the choice to Him.