How does me studying glorify God?
In a previous letter entitled ‘Honouring God with our Time’, the writer tells us that we need to honour God with our time. But how does studying honour God?
Understanding God’s Design of the World
Firstly, we need to understand that God created the world to show us His glory, and He created us to see His glory and to experience His love. Understanding that God is the Creator involves understanding that He made us. We were created intentionally by God and for His purposes, as Psalms 139:13-14 says,
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
Understanding God’s Intention for us
So, as full-time students, you might be thinking:
HUHHH so God intends for me to study?
Is following the systems that were pre-conceived before I was (physically) born, part of God’s will?
Isn’t studying, social systems and jobs all part of mankind’s works a.k.a. what we want rather than what God wants?
To answer these questions, we should see everything around us not purely as man’s creation, but as things that point us back to God as the Ultimate Creator. After all, Romans 1:20 says:
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse”
All of creation points back to God. Everything in heaven and on earth is subject to God's commands.Therefore, nothing can happen without God allowing them to happen, including the buildings that we see around us, and the education systems that dictate what we study. Wherever we are right now, we are placed by God’s divine will, for He had the final say of what can or cannot happen in this world.
If you have ever been frustrated at/hated studying, you are not alone.
My first year in university was a really painful journey for me. I was pushing myself to juggle a million commitments – my grades, 4 CCAs in hall, teaching tuition, serving in church, having a bombastic social life. I was greedy to have it all, and I ended up having none at all. I spent many nights up till 4am, studying alone, and many times I will start tearing while typing my essays, because I hated them so much. I didn’t feel like I was enjoying the course I chose, which made me more anxious too. I was tired and frustrated, and at the end of such turmoil, my grades weren’t even that good.
However, at the end of this year, I came to realise that God had actually used that season in my life to expose my sinful heart.
Had I not struggled in my academics, would I have seen how much I pinned my worth on them?
My constant fretting of wanting to be “included” showed me how I seek my identity in the people around me
Most importantly, would I have otherwise seen how much I want my life to go the way I want it to go?
Going through these struggles was tough, and when I was knee-deep in them, it felt like I was in a tunnel, and I couldn’t see the reason why I was struggling. It was only in retrospect that I could understood that God has showed me how sinful I am, and how much I needed to root everything I am in Him. He had used this season to show how much He loves me, and wants me to come back to Him.
I think, like me, many of us often can’t see the purpose of whatever we are called to; maybe until that season is over. But regardless, we should remind ourselves that even when we do not understand what we are going through or why, God’s ways are always higher than ours and not understanding them does not mean that God has deserted us. As it is said in Isaiah 55:9,
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts”
Some of y’all might be complaining now, “WALAO write so much just to say God has a purpose”. I know it sounds vague, but I implore you to really meditate on this, and to really seek God and ask Him what He is doing in this season of your life. Is He training you up in perseverance? Is He calling for you to put your trust in Him? Perhaps, you are tested in your relationships in school. God perhaps want to equip you for a certain work in the future. Seek God and ask Him to reveal His purpose to you, do not underestimate the power of prayer 😊
Lastly, I would encourage you guys to ponder over how you study. After all, this is probably what you will have to do with much of your time, at least for 6-10 years (ok suddenly this sound like a prison sentence). I do so by ending off this letter with a personal reflection of mine!
Here’s my mini-reflection:
Now that I understand how I have been placed here by His divine will, I see my work as meaningful, whether I enjoy them or not. As such, I choose to honour God with my time and actions by studying, even when I do not like it, because it is what God has called me to do for now.
I also repeatedly remind myself that my work should be used to glorify Him and I ought to work at it with all my heart, as if I am serving Him.
At the same time, I recognise how I should be aware of my own sinful heart, so that I will not end up worshipping myself like how I used to in the aspect of studies; evident indicators for me would be being overly-stressed about studying and pushing myself for a certain grade. I need to constantly repent about how I use studies as a mark of my identity and recall how my identity lies in Christ instead.
Finally, I also remind myself to pray about my studies. I know that everything comes from God and that if I do well and am skilled in a certain subject, it is a blessing from Him. Knowing that I am incompetent without God allows me to see how God will equip me to do well if it’s His will (although, this does not and should not deter me from working hard). In particular, I pray for God to reveal how He intends for me to grow in Him using this season in my life and the other seasons to come, whether it be good or bad.
Ultimately, do know that you are not alone even though life may seem very bleak and meaningless sometimes in this cut-throat rat race to get the most numbers of As. Remember that you always have the truth of the Word reminding you of God’s purposeful creation and a Teenacity community that will support you too!
With Love: Noah