The Escorial
In Madrid, Spain, there exists the Escorial, one of the greatest cathedrals ever built by man. For centuries the kings of Spain have been buried there.
When that magnificent structure was under construction, the architect designed a vast arch, perhaps bigger than anything that had been built before. That arch was so flat at the top that the reigning king was frightened by the prospect of the tremendous weight of the roof collapsing on his head. He commanded the architect to build a column from the floor all the way to the center of that arch to hold it up.
The architect protested vehemently that it was not needed, but the king insisted and, over the laments of the architect, the column was built.
The king worshipped contentedly in the vast structure, having seen to it himself that the ceiling would not fall.
The years went by, the church stood, and the king finally died. Only then did the architect reveal that between the top of the column and the bottom of the arch there was a quarter of an inch of space.
In all these hundreds of years that have passed the arch has not sunk so much as a quarter of an inch.
Today a board is still passed over the column and under the arch for all to see.
So it is with the plan of God - that over-arching plan that encompasses all of reality and all of life. It needs no human support to hold it up. God is the Lord of all and He is working out His purposes in our lives, in all of the world, and through the whole universe.
In Madrid, Spain, there exists the Escorial, one of the greatest cathedrals ever built by man. For centuries the kings of Spain have been buried there.
When that magnificent structure was under construction, the architect designed a vast arch, perhaps bigger than anything that had been built before. That arch was so flat at the top that the reigning king was frightened by the prospect of the tremendous weight of the roof collapsing on his head. He commanded the architect to build a column from the floor all the way to the center of that arch to hold it up.
The architect protested vehemently that it was not needed, but the king insisted and, over the laments of the architect, the column was built.
The king worshipped contentedly in the vast structure, having seen to it himself that the ceiling would not fall.
The years went by, the church stood, and the king finally died. Only then did the architect reveal that between the top of the column and the bottom of the arch there was a quarter of an inch of space.
In all these hundreds of years that have passed the arch has not sunk so much as a quarter of an inch.
Today a board is still passed over the column and under the arch for all to see.
So it is with the plan of God - that over-arching plan that encompasses all of reality and all of life. It needs no human support to hold it up. God is the Lord of all and He is working out His purposes in our lives, in all of the world, and through the whole universe.