“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
— Ephesians 2:10
“God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.”
— John Piper
THE LIES WE BELIEVE
I am not sure if you can relate, but it seems that it’s never been easier to feel insignificant. With just a few taps on a phone, I have unlimited access to men my age who have more money, more followers, more influence, bigger houses and louder platforms. I think we’ve all felt it. It’s easy to begin to feel like everyone around you is winning on all fronts of life.
The reality of the situation is that comparison is no longer local. It has become global and constant. We can now create our own echo chambers of dissatisfaction, one click at a time, as a carefully curated algorithm is being built behind the scenes.
The other night after we put the kids down, my wife and I were talking about this exact thing. About how easy it has become to look at others’ impact and quietly question your own. How easy it is to wonder if what you’re doing really matters.
Maybe we are not alone in that. Maybe you’ve felt that too.
Like your life is small. Like your faithfulness is insignificant. Like history is being written by louder and more important voices.
But that night as we sat on the couch we had to remind each other of what was true. God could have placed us anywhere in history. And He chose now.
THE GOD OF HISTORY
Ephesians 2:10 is a verse that many of us have heard, but it can often get glossed over. It says we that are His workmanship, His poiēma. His poem. His crafted creation. Created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand.
Notice the tense that is used there. Prepared. Beforehand.
Psalm 139:16 tells us that all our days were written before one of them came to be.
Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.”
Now, does that mean every second of your life is rigidly scripted without human responsibility? No. Scripture holds both divine sovereignty and human agency in tension. But what it absolutely does mean is this:
You are not here by accident. God did not randomly roll the dice of history and drop you into 2026. You are not an afterthought. You’re not mis-timed. You’re not misplaced.
The same God who spoke galaxies into existence ordained that you would live now.
THE MYTHS WE BELIEVE
But somewhere along the way we’ve subtly equated our purpose with the size of our platform and our significance with our reach.
If it’s bigger then it matters more. If it’s louder, then it’s better. If it scales then it’s more significant.
But the kingdom of God has never worked that way. You may never stand on a stage to preach a message to thousands, but that doesn’t mean you won’t step into arena’s where your faithfulness has consequence.
Arenas like the largely unseen way you mother your children. The quiet integrity you carry into your workplace. The faithfulness you show up with in a small group. The neighbor you consistently love well. The one struggling friend you refuse to abandon.
You don’t have to shake history to shape history. Scripture never measures impact by volume or status or stature.
PARTNERING WITH A GOD WHO IS ALWAYS WORKING
One of the most powerful reframes I’ve heard in recent years came from Jon Tyson. He shared that before stepping into a moment on his calendar, a meeting, a coffee shop, a gathering, he prays this simple prayer:
“God, how have you been working in advance for me to step into this present moment?”
It’s a prayer that is as powerful as it is simple. It assumes a few things. That God is already moving. That you are stepping into something prepared. And that this moment is not random.
What would happen if you walked into your day believing that?
Imagine believing that the conversation at work, the unexpected text, the interruption in your schedule might be a divine appointment. God has people around you who are on their own curriculum of grace. You may be the voice, the presence, the encouragement, the confrontation, or the love that meets them at the exact right time.
You are not the savior of the story, but you very well may be a part of it.
QUIETLY FAITHFUL
We often think impact means visibility. But what if the most powerful work of your life is deeply hidden? As we know, Jesus spent 30 years in obscurity before 3 years in public ministry.
Most of His life was quiet. He was a faithful ‘nobody’ in the town of Nazareth before he ever performed any miracles in Galilee.
And for many of us, our calling is not to dominate history but to steward our corner of it. You may never be trending. You may never go viral. You may never even stand on a stage.
But you may raise children who change the world. You may disciple someone who goes further than you ever will. You may plant seeds you will never see grow. You never know the fruit of that one faithful encounter. The kingdom advances through ordinary obedience.
A FINAL CHARGE
So friends, show up this week believing you are placed with a purpose, not just random chance.
Before you walk into your day, pray that simple prayer:
“God, how have you been working in advance for me to step into this present moment?”
Then be ready to see Him move. Have the courage to be obedient. Be ready, willing, and available.
Comparison shrinks when you begin to clarify your calling. If you ask the God of the universe…you are not insignificant. You’re not late. You’re not misplaced.
You were made for the moment.
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