Puzzles & Wrapping Paper

I attempted to blog about this a month or so ago, but I had hardly finished writing when the website crashed and the post was lost. The website has an autosave feature, which was on, but the blog post was still gone. "It was the will of God," as my Muslim friends would say. Perhaps someone needs to hear this now instead of then.

I was having my quiet time and journaling to God about a problem. He remined me that His timing was perfect. I still didn't understand-- not really-- but I thanked Him for talking to me; for His reassurance. Then Isaiah 65:17-18 (MSG) came to mind:

"Pay close attention now: I'm creating new heavens and a new earth. All the earlier troubles, chaos, and pain are things of the past, to be forgotten. Look ahead with joy. Anticipate what I'm creating."

As I pondered that passage, God showed me a puzzle. At first, I saw from a distance what looked like a wall made up of oddly shaped pieces in different colors. It was taller than a man, and definitely not something I could climb over. (I'm old and out of shape.) But as I approached, I saw that it was not a wall at all. It was a maze-- a 3D puzzle. Ordinary puzzles are hard enough for me. (I am not a visual person at all, other than occasionally in the spiritual realm.) But this was more difficult than any puzzle I have encountered in the natural world. What had looked like weird-shaped blocks in the wall when viewed from a distance was actually a complicated 3D puzzle in the form of a maze. As I came closer, I saw that each piece was bigger than a man and was covered with mirrors, like the hall of mirrors fight scene in the movie John Wick: Chapter 2. Everything reflected everything else. I couldn't see a path through the maze. It was impossible for me to move forward without running into something. I was at a loss.

But God...

But God suddenly appeared and reached out his hand to me. As I took His hand, He started leading me though the maze...

What I originally thought was a wall blocking my path became an unsolvable puzzle. Unsolvable for me. But not unsolvable for God, because He was the puzzle maker. He was the master architect who designed and built this puzzle. This maze. On the other side is something wonderful, but I can't get there on my own. King David expressed it beautifully in 2 Samuel 22, when he was running from Saul. Here it is, quoting from The Message:

"GOD made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him."

As I write this, I see a wrapped Christmas gift. My point of view is that of a child trying to unwrap it. Excitement! I find the scotch tape on the edge, and open it, peeling away the wrapping paper. Except, there is more wrapping paper beneath it! It's a different color and the seems and tape are in a different place. I get THIS paper off and find ANOTHER layer. And then another! This is taking too long and the anticipation is killing me! My mind goes back to Isaiah 65:17-18:

"Pay close attention now:

I'm creating new heavens and a new earth.

All the earlier troubles, chaos, and pain are things of the past, to be forgotten.

Look ahead with joy. Anticipate what I'm creating."

So perhaps your life right now is more of a maze and less than a-MAZE-ing. (See what I did there?) Maybe your life is a mess and you can't see a way to navigate through the maze of problems. Be like David and place all the pieces of your life before Him. Ask Him to guide you safely through to the other side.

"Look ahead with joy. Anticipate what I'm creating."