Our human world revolves around progress and understanding. If we don’t know the answer to something, we go extreme lengths to find it, to conquer it, to obtain all its facts and make it inferior.
We’ve climbed 29,029 feet to the top of Everest.
Descended 35,756 feet into the depths of the ocean.
Launched NASA’s Apollo 13 mission, which swung around the far side of the moon, putting them 248,655 miles away from Earth. And we’re not satisfied.
Our drive keeps us at the top. Man is #1. Theres not a beast we can’t cage or a mountain we can’t scale, and were always hungry for more… we’ll NEVER be satisfied.
Often times I see a similar hunger in those around me who are truly chasing Jesus with all they’ve got. As believers its so healthy and absolutely vital to be hungry for Christ. Having an unquenchable thirst for all that He is and every gift He offers so generously to us. It’s a wonderful passion and so rewarding to have that fire that keeps roaring out to be fed and flamed… but then sometimes we take a side step. That drive to make man #1 kicks in and our hunger to know Christ through relationship with Him turns to a need to understand and comprehend His ways. We become the ones behind the judge’s bench determining Christ’s intentions. We try to connect the dots of our past to predict what He will do in the future. And ultimately, we try to squeeze Him into this box of our minds and dumb Him down so we can be the gods of our own life, and just use Him to make certain OUR plans work out nice and tidy.
These things I’ve learned:
God is not safe, but He’s always good, and always just.
God is a mystery not to be solved but to be in awe of.
We are not created to understand God, his ways are infinitely higher than our ways.
It would take a thousand life times and more to get to know the Father and his word, and there is, and always will be, more to learn and more to grow in.
His love is overwhelming. It doesn’t make sense. Its unconditional and unwavering. Its a mystery. The only way we love is because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19) Why He chose or loved us is so beyond my comprehension but I am not made to understand it or wrap my mind around it. I’m made to accept it, to dwell in it, and to share it.
The message version of The Bible takes 1 Corinthians 13: 9-10 and puts it this way, “Understanding will reach its limit. We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete. But when the Complete arrives, our incompleteness will be canceled.” And continues in 12-13 to say, “ We don’t yet see things clearly. Were squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us! But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steady in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of these three is love.”
He is so so near to us and wants to be in constant communion with us. He’s closer than the air we breathe and He’s living inside of us, we don’t have to strive to reach Him (think of the tower of Babel and how that turned out). He doesn’t want to be conquered or obtained, He just wants us to be still in His presence and make Him our dwelling place and refuge. Psalms 91 says it so beautifully, “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty… He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness will be your shield and defense.” What a glowing testimony to the security of those who put their trust completely in God!!!
(It really makes me think of a chicken who calls out for her chicklings and they all come running to her outstretched wings and she tucks them all inside.)
His plans for us are incomprehensibly good. He knows everything. E-VER-Y-THING. Past present and future. Its right there being held in His scarred hands and His perfect will.
But not everything that happens is according to His will, because He GAVE US His authority to us and gave us free will, with which, we chose (and still do chose) to sin. God is not the author of sin, suffering or tragedy, the enemy is. But when the enemy brings suffering and destruction, God turns it around for good. He gives us His best. And those times in life when things seem to all be crashing down, He isn’t cruel to force us to know why, or how to understand them. He simply asks us to trust. Trust Him. Give Him the reigns, let go and trust Him who knows and cares for it all. Nowhere does He command us to have it figured out why our plans aren’t working out or why terrible things are going on in our life, He offers up himself to carry those burdens for us. He doesn’t want us to have it figured out, He wants us to trust Him.
He is not a God of confusion. Don’t let mystery be mistaken for confusion, He is the giver of all knowledge and wisdom. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” Thats so true!!!! But He wants and LONGS for us to desire and pursue relationship with Him. He delights in reveling himself to us if we just take the time to relish in His presence and give Him our time and our focus.
He is a Father thats needs to be honored and respected. He’s a friend who wants to be loved and sought after. He’s God who wants to be praised, trusted and revered, but not confined or pulled down to our level.
I don’t have all the answers. No one does. But I do know that Christ is revealing himself to me piece by piece. And its such a joy!
There is no greater gift, no adventure more thrilling, nothing else worth chasing that could ever compare to thrill of being in the presence of the Father and having him living, breathing and moving through you.
And he’s given me SO MUCH GRACE for all the times Ive turned away and tried to shut him off.
Yes, he’s a mystery, and he always will be, but there are parts of him that will always be a vibrant truth. He loves you. He chose you. His mercy is new for you every morning. He is trustworthy. He is faithful.
