Sip Saturday

Week #55 Hebrews 4:3

**Sip Saturday is written by our Saturday morning contributor, M.H. Elrich. A beautifully gifted Christian author who seeks to honor the Trinity in her writing. She hopes that her words will encourage women to draw closer to God, whether that is through her fantasy series or her weekly devotionals.

Cornerstone Scripture:

“For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, ‘As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.’”

-Hebrews 4:3 KJV

There are two kinds of fiction writers: plotters and pantsers. What are they? Plotters meticulously detail every event within their novel before they write it. Pantsers are those who “write by the seat of their pants,” which means they don’t plan anything but write via whim. I consider myself a bit of both. When I write my fantasy books, I often know the end result, a few of the plot points, and have a general understanding of my characters. However, unlike plotters, I often discover the details of my characters, setting, and plot as I write them. Sometimes, my books take different turns than I initially thought they would.

God wrote your story, and he wrote the story of the entire world. That is what the author of Hebrews meant when he said: “his works were finished from the foundation of the world.” God already knows every action people will take, small or large. Whether or not people have free will or their actions are dictated is a matter of debate among Christians. However, what is not usually debated is that God is sovereign. This means that God’s supreme rule and his ultimate plan for believers is not usually questioned by Bible-believing Christians (Romans 8:28; Jeremiah 29:11).

Knowing that God has a plan and his works are already written should be reassuring. Not because we are pawns that have no choice but to move forward on a chessboard, but because we are God’s children, sometimes living within a realm we cannot understand. For example, would you be alright going on a road trip or a plane if you didn’t know the destination? Would you be alright taking detours and wandering your entire life? Most people would say no. We want to know the destination and even the stops along the way. Yet, life doesn’t work like that. We don’t always know how a day will play out, even if we try our best to make it happen a certain way. God does, and his plans are good.

So, even if the child throws a fit and won’t take a nap on time, or if that one annoying co-worker happens to be worse than usual, we can know that there’s a reason for those things happening that day. Maybe it is to teach us patience. Maybe it is to teach us love. But those actions are not random, like throwing darts at a board with a blindfold on. No, instead, we can know that the hand that throws the darts is aiming for something specific, and that is very reassuring. Instead of dwelling on how everything went wrong that day, rest in knowing that God has written your story, and he knows the end.

Let’s pray.

Dear Lord, please help me when I am anxious about the unknowns of this life. Guide me with your infinite wisdom and grant me peace in knowing you have a plan. In Your Son’s Name, Amen.

P.S. I am the author of these books, and they are available in all formats: paperback, ebook, and audiobook! Thank you for your weekly support of Sip Saturday.