God is in the Details
by Larry Purvis
Someone once shared a story about a man who, in trying times, would sit quietly and gaze upward as if he were seeing something far away. One day, a passerby asked the man what he was thinking about and looking at. He replied, "I am watching God, how he's working in the details of the world, and how much care and attention he pays to the little things. His faithfulness to his creation, from the microscopic components of an atom to the stars in the sky, are reminders that my troubles haven't escaped his eye."
There is a meaningful and comforting truth for us in this story, and it is this: God is in the details. That's right! God is in the details of your life and mine; our lives are important to Him.
Now the phrase "God is in the details" isn't new. A famous architect once coined this concept to emphasize precision and thoroughness. Still, for the believer, it has a more significant implication. Our concept of God in the details represents God's control over and involvement in every facet of creation, as well as his intimate involvement in our own lives. This means that whether we are struggling through a difficult season or enjoying a time of rest, God is with us in those moments of joy and trial, revealing Himself through them.
To say "God is in the details" echoes the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:30, when he states, "even the hairs of your head are all numbered." In other words, God cares deeply about you and me. He's not some distant, aloof God uninterested in the details of our lives. He's right there with us, watching over us, sometimes working in the background, quietly directing us in seemingly insignificant ways.
One way that I have found this to be true is through my Missional Community. God has often used our discussions, the songs we sing, and even our mealtimes to draw us as a family closer to Him. Other examples include when He has brought the right people into our lives at the right time or provided unexpected comfort and resources in tough times, often through things that seem small but mean so much.
Yet these examples pale compared to the ultimate example of God being in the details: The Cross. No detail of our salvation has been overlooked through Jesus' life, death, burial, and resurrection. Our debt has been paid, our chains have been broken, and our lives have been made new. None of this would be possible without Jesus living the life we could not live, dying a death that we deserved, and rising from the grave on the third day. These details were necessary and intricately woven into God's grand plan to bring about our redemption.
Ultimately, God is in the details of our lives because He wants us to trust Him. The Lord longs to be thoroughly known and deeply loved. Our relationship with God should not be confined to big spiritual moments but should be intertwined into every aspect of our lives. This season of life can be a chance to experience God in new and deeper ways. Rather than worrying or ruminating, we can take refuge in the truth that He is working all things together for our good.
This should encourage and challenges us to live out our faith, focusing on the everyday moments and trusting that God is in the details. We can step out boldly as a family of missionary servants, knowing that our lives are held in His loving hands. We can confidently live our lives knowing that He will provide, protect, and guide us as we go into all the world. But this should also change how we interact with others as we seek to love and serve them out of the overflow of a relationship with Jesus. Practically, that looks like being a good listener, offering a word of encouragement, or helping our friends out in any way we can. It means, like Jesus, being present in the details of people's lives, being His agents of comfort, and loving others as we have been loved.
Too often, we get overwhelmed by the details of life and think that God is absent or not involved. We don't need to feel this way any longer. If God is in the details of our lives, then let's look for Him in each ordinary day and moment and uncover the creativity and beauty He is summoning us to. Let's open our eyes to His presence, which speaks to His faithfulness and love for us. Let's trust Him with all our daily activities and be willing to lean into Him, trusting, like the man in our story, that He has our best interests in mind and that nothing escapes His notice.