Christ-follower, Husband, Dad, Pastor

understanding

September 16, 2014

Lord, I Just Don’t Understand

Do you ever wish you were young enough to be comforted by crawling up in the lap of someone you know that loves you?

Rational minds can have a hard time understanding many things. Because I live in a body and my earthly experience is so grounded in time and space, many concepts are difficult to understand. But . . . I want to understand.

I really want to understand.  I wish I understood how God knows everything I have done and will ever do. I can’t completely understand eternity or heaven. Creation is a huge subject. God’s speaks – boom! – life is created, but none of us were alive to witness it. I have studied the subject deeply but still wrestle with the tension between God’s sovereignty and my own free choice. Why the cross; why was Roman capital punishment the method preselected for Christ’s death? Why are some people instantly healed and others struggle with seemingly life-long pains? I want God to tell me why some of the most righteous people I have known died much earlier than I would have liked. I think many people at times struggle with that “betrayal barrier” – feeling as if God has somehow not done what we thought He should do.

I have been a Christ-follower for many years, but I am still not satisfied with my limited understanding. But as I think about my desire to understand, I am struck by the fact I don’t understand many things in the natural world of which I am daily a part. For that matter, I don’t fully grasp how electricity works (but I still keep on flipping switches to light up the room), and I know God is much larger that than my puny brain can fathom.

The incarnation – God clothing Himself in flesh – is a big hurdle for some people. God became a baby?  Have you ever heard of the attempt by a little boy to talk with an ant? The boy had a hard time. About the only think the boy could think to communicate successfully was to become an ant himself. That is what Christ did when He clothed Himself in flesh and lived a sinless life here on earth. That may seem simplistic, but lots of concepts are hard to understand. I don’t think honest questions are a bad thing.

You know, Billy Graham, one of the most famous evangelists of the late twentieth century, had a crisis of belief. Graham struggled with philosophical and psychological questions that he simply couldn’t answer. Lee Strobel writes of Graham’s story:

“I was trying to be on the level with God, but something remained unspoken . . . At last the Holy Spirit freed me to say it.  ‘Father, I am going to accept this as Thy Word – by faith! I’m going to allow faith to go beyond my intellectual questions and doubts, and I will believe this to be Your inspired Word.'”

Rising from his knees, tears in his eyes, Graham said he sensed the power of God as he hadn’t felt it for months. “Not all my questions were answered, but a major bridge had been crossed,” he said. “In my heart and mind, I knew a spiritual battle in my soul had been fought and won.”

For Graham, it was a pivotal moment. (The Case for Faith, Zondervan, 2000, p. 10-11)

You have read to this point. Could this be a pivotal moment for you? Ultimately, we all have to cross the barrier of doubt with a choice. Where are you going from here?

I think God’s Word is great place to start – for anyone with questions! Are you willing to listen and to read and to search the Bible to see if your question has an answer there?

In the book of Acts, the Bereans were praised for their honorable fiber because they really dug in the Bible to see if what Paul was preaching was factual. The Bereans were free from prejudice, not allowing what had transpired days before to cloud their discernment. God commended their diligence. “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica [who violently rejected his message], for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11 NIV) Their willingness to listen, study, and respond to God’s Word is what made them noble.

Ultimately, I take comfort from knowing that God is God and I ain’t. Some things I will never fully grasp. The ancient Israelites had to learn this lesson too. Moses wrote, “The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.” (Deuteronomy 29:29 NLT) Wow, I will never understand some things – secrets reserved for God Himself. But . . . I am responsible to doing what I already know to do.

Okay, Lord. I get it. I guess I don’t have to understand. How about just letting me crawl into Your lap?

 

April 23, 2013

Sees, Understands & Cares

Heavenly Father knows EVERYTHING happening in your life, even every danger, threat, and trial.

As an earthy parent, I am concerned about the stuff that concerns my children and I can get emotional about it. I recall my sister crying as we prayed and dedicated her second son Campbell during a service at Valley Fellowship. (Wow, have those boys grown!)

I wasn’t surprised by Kim’s display of emotion; she is a good mommy. Parents, haven’t you felt strong emotions over the events occurring in the lives of your kids? Have you ever imagined the emotions of your Heavenly Father since He knows every detail of of your life.

Heavenly Father SEES everything, even when you don’t.

  • “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:13 NIV)
  • “For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes.”  (Proverbs 5:21 NLT)

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Human perspective is flawed – constrained by eyesight, bound by present time, shackled by distress, confined by sinful nature. The Lord’s perspective is flawlessly complete.

Heavenly Father UNDERSTANDS everything, even when you don’t.

  • “But even if we don’t feel at ease, God is greater than our feelings, and He knows everything.” (1 John 3:20 CEV)
  • “This High Priest [Jesus Christ] of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15 NLT)
  • “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.” (Psalm 147:5 NIV)

Dr. Charles Farah, an ORU theology professor who has gone to be with the Lord, grappled with the misunderstandings of many who overlooked the reality of tribulation and difficulties of life on earth. Farah said, “Maturity is to understand that you don’t have to understand.” There’s wisdom is that statement. My understanding is finite and therefore limited. I often put it like this: “God’s God and I ain’t!” He knows the whys even if I am oblivious.

Heavenly Father CARES for you, even when you don’t.

  • “Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.” (Matthew 6:26 MSG)
  • “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”  (Matthew 10:29-31 NIV)

Jesus wasn’t trying to communicate that birds don’t matter. Birds have value; God cares for birds, but you are of MUCH greater worth than birds. God’s sovereign alertness isn’t consigned only to life-and-death complexities. His awareness of even minor details, counting the very hairs on your head, assures that He cares for you.

Said the Robin to the Sparrow,
“I should really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so.”
Said the Sparrow to the Robin,
“Friend, I think that it must be
They have no Heavenly Father,
Such as cares for you and me.”  (Author unknown)

You matter to the loving Lord of the universe! He loves you and cares for you (1 Peter 5:7) and knows you intimately. Though often heard at funerals, the message of Psalm 23 is applicable to every moment of life – the Great Shepherd cherishes, supplies, and guides His sheep.

Heavenly Father knows everything happening in your life. Trust His love and concern for you.

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