Gears for God
This week I heard a man interviewed who “makes gears for God”. Yes, you heard right. He was called out of “the Ministry” to turn his family manufacturing business into ministry, a kingdom company. His company became his congregation to serve and witness to. That’s a great way to see our workplaces too.
His purpose, he began to see, was literally to help the world go round. Hidden mechanical gears, it turns out, are key to our world working.
He said that every supermarket aisle he visited depended upon mechanical gears in factories and lorries to remain stocked. When the pandemic came his work was an essential service needed to keep the health service operational.
Cogs
“I am just a cog in a wheel,” we say wearily. Daniel, it seems to me, could have easily written himself off as just another cog in the machinery of empire. Yet, his place at the heart of historic geopolitical movements was enormously strategic for God’s kingdom. In a world where celebrity influencers shape our thinking (even if they have no qualification other than fame), Daniel tells us that servant leaders who are not afraid to speak truth to power and to stand for their faith, shape history and leave a legacy. (Today Daniel‘s tomb is a well-known tourist site near Shiraz, Iran)
Hidden conflicts
Biblical belief tells us there is more going on in the rise and fall of kingdoms than what we can see with our human eyes. Daniel 10 points out that behind the vast social and political movements that shape the landscape of life there are sinister spiritual forces at work. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:12
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”
Daniel 10 tells us that this hidden conflict spills over to interfere with our lives, delaying prayers, disrupting human harmony at personal and public levels, and harassing and oppressing individuals.
Prayer
As I prepare for Sunday, it’s got me wondering, how alert am I to the spiritual conflict that spills into our world and how do I respond? Do I see this world as a playground or a battleground?
So, here’s a couple of questions:
- How would my week change if I were to see my workplace as my ministry calling, my congregation, and my field of mission?
- What would it look like for me to be more alert to the spiritual battle in this world?
Prayer is the place where we connect with the Holy Spirit, discern what is going on in the heavenly realms, and the way in which we engage in this hidden conflict. We already have been granted the authority that comes out of the victory of Christ on the cross. Prayer enables us to apply that victory.
As S D Gordon puts it:
“The victor’s best ally in this conflict is the man who, while he remains down on the battlefield, puts his life in full touch with his saviour and victor“ S D Gordon
Iain