A pastor and fellow blogger, Matthew Winters, observed that, in the midst of “One of Those Weeks” recently, he could see God “in the unexpected.” I couldn’t agree more! In fact, while reading Matthew’s post, I was struck by the fact that,
If we can’t see God in the unexpected, we can’t see him at all.
If your god is only there when you want him to be, and consistently performs as you expect him to, you’re probably worshipping a god of your own invention. In what conceivable universe would an infinite God be limited by the expectations of a finite, self-absorbed creature called [your-name-here]?
One particular cult puts central emphasis on the phrase, “’Come let us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18), pulling it out of context and insisting it means that if anything is beyond our understanding it cannot be true. I heartily beg to differ! One of the surest signs of a false religion is the degree to which it has its god pigeonholed.
Don’t get me wrong, I trust God completely, even when he stubbornly refuses to dance to the tunes I call. Actually, the guy whose judgments I don’t trust is finite, self-absorbed little me. I’ll take my Creator’s dangerous, unexpected, but ultimately loving decisions over mine in any universe you care to choose. Because, as C. S. Lewis famously said,
“He is not safe, but he is good.”
Amen!
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“One of the surest signs of a false religion is the degree to which it has its god pigeonholed.” One amazing life! LOVE it!
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A safe god is no God at all. Our God defies definition and reason. But then if God could be understood and reasoned, He wouldn’t be worth worshiping and His grace would cease to be “amazing.” Great post, Mitch!
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Thanks, Bill.
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Once again, wishing there was a ‘love’ option!! This truly speaks to where I am! Oh mercy, if our God was the size of my puny imagination, I would be in so much trouble. I’ve always ‘tried’ to no put Him in a box. And I fully believe that if I could see it, feel it or touch it or, in this case, imagine it, it would not be “faith in a God bigger than me’ at all. Thank you again, Mitch, for saying exactly what I needed to hear right when I needed to hear it! I appreciate so much your honesty/vulnerability, humility and, of course, the amazing gift the Lord has given you to write so creatively! To God be the glory!!! 🎉👍🏻✝️🙏🏻
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Aw, thanks and blessings, Dori.
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C.S. Lewis had it right! Right on with the post!
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What an uplifting blog.
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To discover God in the unexpected is actually one of the delights of being his child. Even when we’re in the midst of turmoil, his consolations come in a myriad of ways, to bring us joy (Psalm 94:18, 19)!
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Good stuff, Mitch. The line from Lewis makes me think we don’t tremble enough. Maybe a little less frolicking in the fields of grace and a little more contemplating why the Lion doesn’t just eat us.
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Thanks for the shoutout! You have some excellent thoughts here.
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The honor’s mine, Matthew.
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I agree with, “I’ll take my Creator’s dangerous, unexpected, but ultimately loving decisions over mine in any universe you care to choose.” -MT
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An excellent thought provoking post. Loved reading it over n over again.
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Is there to be found the Hand of God, in those experiences that are not exactly good or positive?.
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I’m planning on a longish post (maybe more than one) to deal with the “why does God allow suffering?” question. In the meantime, what do you think, JW?
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Mitch, “Suffering” is a subject that will drive you crazy, due to the dynamic of opinion. Keep an opened mind and you will be able to create more questions. Other than that I say GO FOR IT. For anything other feel free to use my contact page, and we could initiate some dialog. I am honored that you would consider my opinion.
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“Even when he doesn’t dance to the tunes I call…” Thanks, Mitch! I needed to hear this today.
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