I hear the question in my head, from people of faith, from doubters and skeptics... "What is God doing? Nothing more occupies that question than when tragedy strikes...natural disasters such as Hurricane Harvey in Houston...or, evil actions as when a terrorist commandeers a truck and drives it through a crowd of people...evil such as was the Holocaust, or the terror of Stalin...or, when someone near and dear to us suddenly becomes the victim of cancer, or some other life-changing disease, and eventually it takes their life - for us it often seems way before it should have.
"What is God doing?"
I could launch into theological reflection - the nature of God's sovereignty, His wisdom, His ways and thoughts not being our ways and thoughts, etc... and it would be all true. It is not that we don't need theology; in fact, we need it more than ever in times of questions and doubt.
I could tell you about some wonderful books that have been written on this subject. From C.S. Lewis to Timothy Keller there are a host of good Christian authors who have written marvelous works on pain and suffering...
But, we still ask, "What is God doing?"
I struggle...aren't Pastors suppose to explain, guide, spiritually understand???
One of the Apostle Paul's favorite words is "Mystery"...it is worth our while to consider it in trying to answer the question "What is God doing?" Paul not only uses the word - 40 times in his letters - but he is perfectly comfortable with the idea of Mystery.
Romans 11:25
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in...
The inclusion of Gentiles into the Covenant of Salvation was a Mystery that wasn't revealed until after Christ Jesus' Death, Burial, Resurrection and Ascension into heaven. It was such a marvelous revelation to Paul - a sort of "AAAAAAHHHHHH...look at that..." moment that he ends this section in Romans 11 with praise and worship.
Romans 11:33-36
33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
34 "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?"
35 "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?"
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
I use to think my job was to explain...but I've grown to understand that my main task is to enter into the lives of those I serve and join them in the Mystery that is in Christ. "Mystery is what is left over after we have done our best to reasons things out." (Eugene Peterson).
We come to God because He came to us. We receive His salvation, procured through Jesus Christ, by Grace through Faith...we believe He died for me...we confess our need for his saving work...we trust Him completely for all that is necessary - this is the process for Conversion. His Spirit enters into our lives and we begin the process of learning to submit our lives to His word, and we begin to encounter God in every day life - work, marriage, family, friends, neighborhoods, schools, in all areas of life. Yet inside there is a nagging reality...we are doing everything we know we should do, but there are things occurring that we can not explain - Mystery.
Here's the key - I believe. Rather than ask "What are you doing Lord,? I don't like it or get it..." why not ask, "Lord you're doing something here I don't understand, but I do trust you and want to learn from this..." You see, inherent to our nature is the impatience with not knowing what is going on. We not only want to know what is going on, but we want to enter in and control it. YET, that is not God's way. One only look through the stories of Bible to see that impatience with Mystery always short-cuts growth in Maturity.
Deuteronomy 29:29
29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.
We don't have a God who can be dissected, charted, diagrammed, or even figured out. Mystery... it is a word that reminds us that God will always be God, and we will not.
Peace.
"What is God doing?"
I could launch into theological reflection - the nature of God's sovereignty, His wisdom, His ways and thoughts not being our ways and thoughts, etc... and it would be all true. It is not that we don't need theology; in fact, we need it more than ever in times of questions and doubt.
I could tell you about some wonderful books that have been written on this subject. From C.S. Lewis to Timothy Keller there are a host of good Christian authors who have written marvelous works on pain and suffering...
But, we still ask, "What is God doing?"
I struggle...aren't Pastors suppose to explain, guide, spiritually understand???
One of the Apostle Paul's favorite words is "Mystery"...it is worth our while to consider it in trying to answer the question "What is God doing?" Paul not only uses the word - 40 times in his letters - but he is perfectly comfortable with the idea of Mystery.
Romans 11:25
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in...
The inclusion of Gentiles into the Covenant of Salvation was a Mystery that wasn't revealed until after Christ Jesus' Death, Burial, Resurrection and Ascension into heaven. It was such a marvelous revelation to Paul - a sort of "AAAAAAHHHHHH...look at that..." moment that he ends this section in Romans 11 with praise and worship.
Romans 11:33-36
33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
34 "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?"
35 "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?"
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
I use to think my job was to explain...but I've grown to understand that my main task is to enter into the lives of those I serve and join them in the Mystery that is in Christ. "Mystery is what is left over after we have done our best to reasons things out." (Eugene Peterson).
We come to God because He came to us. We receive His salvation, procured through Jesus Christ, by Grace through Faith...we believe He died for me...we confess our need for his saving work...we trust Him completely for all that is necessary - this is the process for Conversion. His Spirit enters into our lives and we begin the process of learning to submit our lives to His word, and we begin to encounter God in every day life - work, marriage, family, friends, neighborhoods, schools, in all areas of life. Yet inside there is a nagging reality...we are doing everything we know we should do, but there are things occurring that we can not explain - Mystery.
Here's the key - I believe. Rather than ask "What are you doing Lord,? I don't like it or get it..." why not ask, "Lord you're doing something here I don't understand, but I do trust you and want to learn from this..." You see, inherent to our nature is the impatience with not knowing what is going on. We not only want to know what is going on, but we want to enter in and control it. YET, that is not God's way. One only look through the stories of Bible to see that impatience with Mystery always short-cuts growth in Maturity.
Deuteronomy 29:29
29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.
We don't have a God who can be dissected, charted, diagrammed, or even figured out. Mystery... it is a word that reminds us that God will always be God, and we will not.
Peace.
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