There are two main perspectives on how to view the world. The first is a retributive perspective which values working hard and doing one’s best. Just as it is said in the Bible, ‘You will reap what you sow,’ God has certainly given people free will. This means that the results of our lives are naturally shaped by the choices we make and the actions we take. While this is an important viewpoint for understanding the world, it is not the most important one.
The second perspective on viewing the world is to see it as being filled with God’s grace—to believe that God is constantly at work in our midst. This is a perspective that is not easily held by someone who has not yet come to faith in God, and it’s something one needs to learn and grow accustomed to after believing in Jesus.
For example, even the sale of two sparrows at the market happens with God’s permission (Matthew 10:29). He feeds the birds in the sky, clothes the lilies in the field (Matthew 6:26-30), and has numbered even the hairs on our heads (Matthew 10:30), so clearly, our God is close to us in ways we may not even recognize. Moreover, God knows our thoughts, the words we will speak, and observes all our actions—whether we sit, stand, lie in bed, or walk along the road (Psalm 139:2-4). In this way, we can see that God is actively involved in countless aspects of our lives.
This active involvement of God is often referred to as ‘grace’ in the church. Grace is a term that expresses God’s actions. For instance, “When the church in Jerusalem heard this, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with steadfast purpose” (Acts 11:22-23).
One of the most prominent books in the Bible that teaches the concept of a world filled with God’s grace is the Book of Job in the Old Testament. Job was a righteous man who lived strictly according to God’s word. Yet, when he encountered inexplicable suffering, his friends, who held a retributive understanding of the world, couldn’t interpret his suffering and thus advised Job to request a personal audience with God (Job 31:35). When God responded, He came to Job with countless examples from nature and asked, ‘Do you know this?’ in a series of questions (Job 38-41).
What God ultimately taught Job was that the world is filled with grace. ‘I know you have lived in reverent obedience and done your utmost, and I value and rejoice in that greatly. But, Job, the most essential perspective you need for understanding the world is to recognize that I am constantly working in it, and that the whole world is filled with grace.’
Instead of the prideful attitude of ‘I am in control of my destiny,’ or the lazy and irresponsible attitude of ‘God will take care of everything, so I only need to do the bare minimum,’ what we need is a proactive attitude that, because the world is filled with God’s work, we can live passionately and without despair.
