There Is No Encore

Have you ever been at a restaurant and were inspired to order an appetising dish being placed before another patron?  None of the descriptions in the menu seemed as appealing as the hot meal being served to someone else before your eyes.  You thought to yourself, "I'll have whatever he is having.  That looks amazing."

Ordering a meal based upon appearance is one thing, but this desire to "have what someone else is having" can lead to us want for ourselves the exact experience as another person.  If we are the ones who have had the amazing experience, we want others to partake in it as well.  I remember taking kids in the youth group to a theme park which had numerous roller coasters, and it was great fun seeing them enjoy the thrill for the first time and sprint back to the queue to ride again!  As much fun as coasters can be, the first time can never be replicated for yourself or anyone else.  The first time for another person may be the last time they ever submit to boarding a ride because they didn't enjoy it at all.  When it comes to spiritual matters, do not set your heart on having an experience like anyone else because God has intimate knowledge of you and His plans for you - not limited by the experiences or outcomes of others.

I came across a wonderful quote from C.S. Lewis which speaks to this point:

"It would be rash to say that there is any prayer which God never grants.  But the strongest candidate is the prayer we might express in the single word encore.  And how should the Infinite repeat Himself?  All space and time are too little for Him to utter Himself in them once." (Martindale, Wayne, and Jerry Root. The Quotable Lewis. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2005. page 247)

How many Christians can seek a particular gifting, experience, or outcome of another because it personally appeals to them and ultimately become disillusioned when their desire eludes them!  It is like we wish life or our spiritual pilgrimage was like a restaurant, that if we agree to pay the price on the menu for what we find most appealing we should receive exactly as we ordered, with certain ingredients omitted or exchanged for our personal preference.  Approaching desired outcomes in a formulaic fashion disregards the sovereignty of God and the greatness of the plan He is unfolding which exceeds our vision and expectations.  Often passages from the Bible are employed in this way, suggesting if we will do our part God will do His - in a predictable, timely, and expected manner.  This is simply not the case.

After thrilling experiences we can shout, "Again, again!" but with God there is no encore; He does not stutter.  Just like He never creates two people exactly alike - even those we call "identical" - He never operates in exactly the same way.  Since every person is created unique, why should we expect our circumstances, outcomes, or experiences to be the same as someone else?  God does not repeat Himself, for He makes all things new.