The rear view is a mess, but the front view is a masterpiece. That is what you’ll see if you glance at both sides of a tapestry. Tapestries are an ancient art form that requires an extraordinary amount of forethought and expertise. And to make one, a weaver will arrange threads vertically on a loom and then interweave threads of different colors horizontally. The end result is a breathtaking portrait which showcases the skill and creativity of the weaver.

However, the most striking feature of a tapestry is its backside, which looks like regurgitated rainbow spaghetti or a ball of yarn that an angry toddler twisted up. The back of tapestries are chaotic and unpleasant, lacking structure and meaning. But, simply turn it over and you’ll find that the weaver knew what he or she was doing. The front side view reveals that each thread, knot, and braid has a role to play and a pivotal purpose. It all depends on how you look at it.

That is how your life is in the grand scheme of God’s providential plan. He is weaving together every joy and sorrow, every day and every tomorrow, as part of His beautiful plan for your life. By stitching together every triumph you enjoy and every trouble you despise, He is creating a breathtaking tapestry which points to His handiwork. The Lord is the master weaver who knows exactly what He is doing. As Paul famously declared in Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Unfortunately, all we can see is the backside of our life’s tapestry, which is rarely resplendent. Perhaps all we see are unanswered prayers and seemingly senseless suffering that looks like a jumbled disaster of threads and knots. But, no matter how much our lives may look like a mess, the Scripture is clear that everything has a place in the glorious masterpiece that the Lord is putting together (Eph. 1:11). And although we cannot see the whole picture, our simple but strenuous role is to trust that God is weaving something wonderful together. As Solomon wisely counseled, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Prov. 3:5, KJV). 

There will come a day when we shall see our life’s tapestry from the frontside, but it will happen when God finishes it in heaven. One day, we will understand how every vexation and victory was necessary for God’s perfect plan to come together. As the Puritan Thomas Watson assured us, “Yet, in the end, all will be made clear and plain. Here we see but darkly as through a glass, but in heaven, the veil shall be pulled off, and we shall clearly see the love of God in all that befell us.” The terrific tapestry is coming together— just trust the process and the One doing the weaving.

Pick up a copy of Brandon’s latest book, Fundamentals for the Faithful, which explains the importance of all the basics which every believer should know: