THE SYMPHONY

A question with which philosophers through the ages have wrestled is, “Why am I here?”, or “What is my purpose?” Christians are not exempt from those same questions. As we walk through life we wonder why certain events occurred or why we are where we are. As Christians who are trying to walk within the Will of God, we accept events and circumstances as being according to His plan. But those of us who are not perfect still wonder “why.”

While attending a concert I had a thought that helps explain how our small lives fit within the Plan of God. Imagine a great orchestra with many different instruments. Imagine that each performer is playing their part to the best of their ability, and yet each person can only hear what they are playing. They cannot hear any of the other instruments.

An orchestra has many different instruments. Imagine if the orchestra was composed solely of flutes, or drums or clarinets. All of the instruments are necessary for the symphonic sound. We cannot all be grand pianos or virtuoso violins. Some of us are that little tinkling triangle that is occasionally heard.

This is how our lives work as Christians. We all go through life in our Christian walk doing the best that we can. We only know what we are doing and what our circumstances are. Just as different instruments in a concert have different parts, we all have different parts in life. Heard by themselves, some instruments have strange, dissonant parts. Sometimes our lives seem a little dissonant.

The problem is that we cannot “hear” the part of the other Christians who live around us in our families or in our church. But the Master Conductor, our Heavenly Father, does hear. If we follow His direction, we perform our part well. And the sum of our individual parts, mine and yours and our Brothers and Sisters in Christ, is a great symphony. The Master Conductor leads us and directs us, sometimes in ways unknown or unseen by us. The result is a great masterpiece.

The Lord has a Plan. In musical terms it is a beautiful concerto. In the Day when we arrive in the presence of the Lord and receive perfect knowledge (First Corinthians 13:12) we will see how all our lives worked together for the Glory of God. In fact, didn’t Paul say something like that in Romans 8:28? “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.”

I look forward to the Day when we will all participate in a great symphony of praise, gathered around the Throne of God.