Dare I ask, what is God’s attitude towards repetition?
Does He view His daily work, like making the sun rise, mundane and ordinary?
It was June 2018. Our family were back in Australia. We were staying at my parent’s house on the beautiful Coast. I was up early one morning, writing, trying to piece together unfinished journaled words and thoughts from life in Africa.
I glanced outside the window of my childhood seaside home. I saw shards of brilliant orange ricocheting against the deck post and then looked back at my screen to continue typing.
The urge to see the sunrise and stop for just a moment had blurred my thoughts. But I have seen the sunrise so many times before I told my self… and I only had 15 minutes before Mr Brave would wake. I must keep writing…
I resolved for just one quick break and then back to the computer. I stepped outside onto the deck. It was a stunning, still, winter’s day. The sun rose over the ocean. I sat down to take in the majesty of the moment.
This sun has risen every day for millennia, yet today’s sunrise seemed outrageously beautiful. God obviously isn’t bored with His daily job of making the sun rise. Nor with repetition.
So, was this, just another sunrise?
No.
I don’t think God thoughtlessly completes a job and moves on to the next. Rather, it seems, He does each of His ‘daily tasks’ with determined purpose – to display His glory.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
The skies proclaim the work of His hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
Night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
No sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
Their words to the ends of the world.
Psalm 19: 1-4
Through God’s daily repetitive work He sings His love to His creation. But our senses are all-to-often sleeping or distracted. Sadly, we often miss the true glory which is being revealed. So, He repeats it the next day, and then the next…
Perhaps repetition is important and we just don’t realise it?
We have a Father who has repetitive daily tasks and has decided that our lives should include repetitive daily tasks too. We may try with all our might to scrap the ordinary and repetitive from our lives with modern devices and new experiences. However, the more I compare our Western culture to that of my refugee neighbours in Africa, the more I am convinced that ridding the ordinary, mundane and repetitive tasks from our lives is not the key to joy.
Rather, finding God’s presence amidst repetition can transform an ordinary job into something beautiful.
God uses His repetitive daily to declare His character:
Daily He raises the sun – He is faithful and trustworthy.
Daily He sets a boundary for the ocean – He is a God of order and creative design.
Daily He brings about new life – He is creator, and is always creating new life.
Daily our Father reminds us of His love and power and promises.
Perhaps how we go about our repetitive daily tasks can also declare who He is?
To our children.
To our spouse.
To our neighbour.
Daily, God is breaking through our ordinary and declaring ‘Here I am’.
It is His presence in an ordinary moment that makes it holy.
My prayer for you today is that you would have eyes that see His beauty.
Ears that hear His grace and truth.
Hands that respond, extending His love.
May you not grow weary of waking another day to display His glory and grace to those around you.
No matter how many messes they make.
Amen and grace to you, beloved one.
Hope
Hallelujah in the Mountains 