Who's Really at the Center of the Story?

I love watching plays in the theater. The music, the dance, the drama--it all comes together as I watch. The spotlight shines on the main character while all the players work together helping to bring the show to life.

But what if, while watching a play, the spotlight was instead focused on a minor character off to the side, close to the wings, while the rest of the stage was in darkness? The main character would be acting, even talking, but you wouldn’t see him. All you would notice is the side character on stage. Of course, the minor character has a part to play, but watching the performance would be so confusing.

I was reading in my devotional, Everyday Gospel, and Paul Tripp wrote, “We must remember that the central character of every chapter of the biblical story is the Lord…He is on center stage, and the spotlight is always on Him.”

When we read in the Bible, how often do we focus on the person in the story as if he or she is the main character? Although God uses this character to bring about His work, we forget that the spotlight should be focused on the Lord.

Just like the play--where we would find it confusing to watch with the spotlight on a minor character--if we don’t place our focus on the main character, the Lord, we may confuse what the Lord wants us to understand from His Word.

When we shift the spotlight to the Lord, we shift our perspective. We start to see what’s happening behind the scenes. Now we begin to ask questions and seek answers to help us understand how God is working.

Some questions you can ask:

• What is the Lord doing in this person’s life in this story? How do we see God working?

• Did they depend on God or did they act in their own strength?

• What consequences occurred because of their actions? Was God just?

• What can we learn about God and His character?

• How does the Lord's glory shine through?

As you begin to ask these questions about God’s Word, you will start to understand His character more deeply. You will see how merciful He is. You will see how just He is. You will see how God intervened in the lives of people like Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Jeremiah, Daniel, Nehemiah, Peter, John and every other sinful character in the Bible.

You will notice that some characters consistently did things their own way, while others frequently sought God for help. And even though they failed, God still loved each one.

As you begin to recognize how God worked in the lives of the people in the Bible, can you also shift your thinking to see that He still is working in your life?

I’ve had to do this frequently over the years.

I have to tell myself:

• I am not the main character in this play we call life.

• I should not place that spotlight on myself. That spotlight belongs to the Lord God.

• The same character of God where I see God intervening in people's lives in the Bible applies to my life as well.

Since I am a minor character in this story, I can ask the same questions I ask about the events in the Bible.

• What is the Lord doing in my life in this circumstance? How do I see Him working?

• Am I depending on the Lord in humility, or am I trying to do everything in my own strength?

• Have consequences occurred because I wasn’t depending on Him? Is God just?

• Will I allow God to have all the glory as He works in my life?

I like to write this out. I use a simple journal that I made which asks 2 questions: How am I doing? What does God's Word say? God always shows me a passage of Scripture that is relevant for my life, and I often ask the above questions as I read the passage. If you are interested in this journal, you can find it here for women and here for men.