God’s Ways

God’s Ways

GOD’S WAYS

 

GOD’S WAYS: The biblical God is one who insists He will be seen in nature, and also is one who gives leave to chance (randomness) – he allows free will and injustice.  So is He in control?  The greatest point of contention between science and religion arises when believers insist God directly controls nature (like a puppeteer) while scientists insist that nature can run “on its own”.  Which is right?  According to the Bible, that divine control may be enigmatic.  Even in those episodes when an omnipotent and active God is clearly in control, progress may not be smooth and direct.  The most dramatic example of this is the Exodus.  God led the Israelites by a pillar of cloud in the day and a pillar of fire by night.  Cloud and fire, around the clock, inform us that God was leading every step of the way.  As they marched toward their goal of Mount Sinai, however, God had them change course and turn around and head back along part of the path they had just traversed (Ex 14:2).  This placed the Israelites in great danger, as the sea now blocked their escape from army of the pursuing Egyptians.  This reversal was not a divine afterthought.  Rather it was part of God’s plan with several goals, one of which was to test the people’s trust even though their destruction seemed imminent.  The general lesson was that even with God in charge, reversals are part of the biblical system be they in society or in nature.  If we could see the entire scheme, we might know their reason, but lacking that we are asked to simply trust God.  The biblical descriptions of the Creator interacting with His creation in non-obvious ways match scientific descriptions of our world tuned perfectly for life by some fortunate quirks of nature.

Now when the Israelites cried to God at the shore of the sea, a strong east wind started and blew all night (Ex 14:21).  The wind dried the seabed.  Why a wind, and why take all night to dry the seabed?  If the divine plan was to use a wind, why not a spectacular blow, something miraculous drying the seabed in seconds?  Then all the world would know that it was a miracle beyond question.  But the wind seemed so natural, however, that we had to be told of its divine source (Ex 14:21).  This was apparently God’s intent because choices would then have to be made. For the Israelites it was either trust in God or surrender to the Egyptians.  For the Egyptians it was either to follow the Israelites or retreat back home.  Had the wind been obviously supernatural, the decisions would have been predictable and free will would have been compromised.  Instead, however, given a naturally appearing wind, Israel had to decide if this was really God’s work and if they were going to trust Him.  Likewise the wind seemed so natural to the Egyptians that they followed the Israelites right onto the dried seabed, even after God had shown them His power through the plagues.   Such a natural world allows us to maintain our free will. Although God is indeed omnipotent, he has allowed us a measure of free will by which we make choices for which we are responsible.  Not every extraordinary event in nature is labeled “miracle – made in heaven”.  Sometimes we must read between the lines to see God’s hand and decide to simply trust Him for the outcomes.

Pascal said; “It has been God’s will to redeem men and open the way of salvation for those who seek it.  Many, however, have shown no interest, so it is right for God to refuse to some, because of their hardness of heart, what he grants to others by a mercy to which they are not entitled.  Since so many have ignored his mercy, he wished to deprive them of the good that they did not desire.  It was, therefore, not right that he should appear before them in a manner that was obviously divine and absolutely bound to convince all mankind.  Instead, wishing to appear openly to those who seek him with all their heart while remaining hidden from those who shun him with all their heart, God has given signs of himself which are visible to those who seek him and not by those who refuse to seek him.  There is enough light for those who desire only to see, and enough darkness for those of a contrary disposition.” (Pensees 149-430) He also said “There is enough light to lighten the elect and enough obscurity to humiliate them.  There is enough obscurity to blind the reprobate, and enough light to condemn them and deprive them of excuse.” (Pensees 236-578)

Understanding God !!!

Psalm 73 teaches us an important lesson about dealing with the tough and challenging questions about life; its unfairness, suffering, and evil.  When we ask God WHY? He usually does not answer in the terms we want – He does not write us a book, although He could write the best book on the problem of suffering and evil ever written.  Instead, He shows us Himself – as in the case of Asaph in vs 13-16 (and also in the case of Job and Habakkuk).  If He were to allow us to question, it would never end, so He resolves everything by showing us Himself.  If we let Him have His way, this satisfies us, because it has to; this is what is going to satisfy us forever in heaven – being in God’s presence. Even in human relationships, like a friend in the hospital, what they really want is a visit – your presence – not gifts of stuff. The real answer to suffering then is not an answer at all, it is Jesus Himself.  It is not a bunch of words but The Word.

The heart of Christianity is not an opinion about God, such as a philosophy might reach, but rather a personal relationship with Him.  What He offers to man’s apprehension in any specific revelation is not so much the “why” of events, but Himself – His presence.  We can only receive God as a “presence”, not a specific content.  Questions such as the “meaning of life” or the “why” of various life events and conditions which can frustrate us so much give way to a deep intuitive feeling or conviction (which grows as we mature in our relationship with God) of trust.  This is the essence of our faith which makes such questions unimportant; I do not know the answers, but then the questions no longer seem very important.

Our finite minds continue to reach out to God for more understanding.  At best, however, we are given to understand very little. We are instead told the “the just shall live by FAITH”.   We live in a tiny corner of one of billions of galaxies for a duration of about 70 years in a universe which has existed for 15 billion years  —  what can we hope to really understand??  As Paul says in I Cor 13:12 “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”  It requires an eternity to know infinity, and we cannot put the infinite ocean of God’s being into our tiny human bottles of theological speculations and experiences.  But the inadequacy of our knowing should not discourage us, for when American Pastor Daniel Paling was asked what he knew about God, he responded “Very little, but what I do know has changed my life”.

Finally;

Prov 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Prov 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Prov 16:25 There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death

Is 55:8-9  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

 

Bottom line; Trust God, don’t try to completely understand – He is worthy of our trust!!