Stewarding the Heart of God

A few months ago, while on a trip, I found myself in an antique shop in another state. In such a situation, I will usually focus on hunting for treasures in two places: in the ceramics and the books.

In this case, I found what appeared to be the remnant of a book originally from 1879. It had evidently been rebound at some point, but even the newest cover now hung by a thread to the deeply discolored pages.

The volume consisted of a pastor’s summer lectures to young men and addresses numerous worthy topics with counsel that remains surprisingly relevant. At one point, he discusses how young people (particularly young men) must not waste their potential, gifts, intelligence, and ability on lesser pursuits.

It is here that he writes the following: “You cannot uproot the mountains, nor dislodge a single star, but in your life, you can wound God’s heart, and blot out, or cover with glory, the lofty purpose for which you were made.”

For some reason, this struck me. What are we to God? What is man, that He is mindful of him, the son of man, that He cares for him? We are helpless before God, powerless, and yet, as this author brings out, we have a power that no other has and that few of us steward well.

This poem reflects the truth that we mirror God, though imperfectly, and in spite of everything misuse His gift of volition. Rather than function as image-bearers, reflecting the goodness and majesty of God, we skew His gifts and wound His heart. We pain Him in a way a thousand angels cannot.

The first half of this poem emphasizes how in everything that surrounds us, in nature and in ourselves, we may behold His mercy, beauty, and might. The second half reflects all the ways in which we nonetheless wound and reject Him.

The Power of Man

In the lily’s elegance In the ocean you cannot tame, In the dinosaurs and elephants, In the mystery of the flame,	In shunning nature’s strong defense, In scorning the weak and lame, In using his intelligence To his Maker blame,
In the seasons you cannot rule, In the space you cannot conceive, In the cell and the molecule, In the time you cannot leave,	In seeking the wisdom of the fool And the deceived who deceive, In choosing truth to ridicule, In the love he does not receive,
In the awesome earthquake, In the tradesman’s work and skill, In the fragility of the snowflake, In the sun you cannot still,	In preferring the reason and lies of the snake And to his purpose fulfill, In seeing himself a divine mistake, In serving his broken will,
In the sparkling snowdrift, In the glorious sunrise, In the cheetah sleek and swift, In rich and cloudless skies,	In worshiping the unearned gift, In believing half-true lies, In allegiances that sway and shift, In alliances unwise,
In the quick wings of the honeybee, In the galaxies that turn, In what the eye can’t bear to see, In the grace you did not earn,	In arrogant disunity, In scathing words that burn, In that which he cannot unsee, In what he can’t unlearn,
In the songbird’s melody, In the sunset’s glowing light, Behold thy God in mercy And tremble at His might.	In surrendering to a lesser plan, In rejecting His counsel and rod, Behold the lowly power of man To wound the heart of God.