Recently, I found myself trying to make sense of a challenging situation I was watching unfold. I found myself filled with both anxiety and confusion. One morning, I awoke with the word “orchestrate” in my heart. As time went on, I kept being drawn to really contemplate this word. According to Merriam-Webster, “orchestrate” means one, to compose or arrange music for an orchestra, and two, to arrange or combine things so they achieve the best possible outcome.

Not long after, I came across Romans 8:28  “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” We often use this verse when we are trying to make sense of difficult circumstances. Or, we offer it to someone as a way to console and encourage them in their “life is tough right now” moment. Honestly, I don’t know that I’ve ever heard this scripture used by anyone, myself included, when things are going smoothly, right?  It’s challenging times that often have us struggling to see how our difficulty can be used for any good. A key word in this verse is “all”. You know what “all” means in English? All. You know what “all” means in the Greek language? All. How simple is that? 

Just as a composer writes music that to me may just look like scribbles on a piece of paper, to the one writing the music, every single note plays a meaningful part in his/her compostion. Psalm 139:16 expresses that God has composed our lives – “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” 

There are days that all I see is an indecipherable muddle of details that make no sense. These are the days when, instead of trying to figure it out, I recognize once again that I can’t.  “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT

Sometimes the music playing isn’t music to my ears. I may not understand the notes and the current rhythm of my life, but I can hold on to hope in The One writing the music, and He says , “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 NLT 

What peace we find, both in the present and in the future, knowing our life’s composition is penned by the Creator Himself. We can trust His wisdom as He uses all things to guide us toward a harmonious and glorious finale -both here and in eternity with Him.