Muses and Mentations

Okay, if we humans could figure God out, He wouldn't be much of a God, would He? And if we could fix everything ourselves, we wouldn't need His help. Well . . . He already told us His thoughts are not our thoughts, His ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8), and we obviously can't fix everything ourselves [see: current state of the world]. Logical conclusion: we need God.

But what kind of God are we looking for? Who do we expect to show up? Evidently, there's Who we think we need, and Who we really need. Depending on our readiness and openness, what we get lies somewhere along that spectral range.

Example #1: God in the role of Santa Claus. St. Nick, that validation for excessive dining, comes to town every year [earlier and earlier, it seems!], and if he's good to us on December 25, we wish he'd stay around year-round granting our every wish. Sometimes we expect God to take his place, and even try to make deals with Him so when He checks His list twice for the naughty and nice part, we'll be good if we can get . . . .
Or how about Example #2, the “bless me, Father, for I have sinned, but please don’t punish me” syndrome. You know you’re wrong, and consequences are warranted, but you’re hoping His benevolent grace and mercy kick in and spare you the pain one more time. If you’re spared, God’s still your Main Man [high five!]. If you end up suffering the consequences anyway, maybe you didn’t ask forgiveness for enough things and God’s mad at you [too bad to be forgiven?]. Or maybe they were right after all—God doesn’t exist and you missed your chance to evolve to a higher level of existence.

Or just maybe God’s lost interest in you since He does, after all, have to run the universe [“What’d you say you needed child, a job? Don’t you still have a roof over your head and food on your table? Can you wait your turn while I try to interest somebody in helping those AIDS orphans alleviate their swollen bellies? By the way, since you have a little more time, can YOU help?”]. Still needing that kind of God that will work the program your way, eh? Kindly refer back to paragraph one. Yep, you’re back at square one.


From human observation, God is a God of paradoxes—you know, give and you will receive, follow Me and I will make you a leader of men, five loaves and two fish equals dinner for 10,000 [less is more, you know], etc. Although it’s difficult to fathom, one of those close-to-home paradoxes is pondering the promise of riding upon the high places of the earth and being fed with the heritage of Jacob [a rich man], your ancestor. This ponderance is especially difficult when you’re wondering where your next meal is coming from, when nothing in your life seems to be as you desired, and you’ve been emotionally beaten into a depressive stupor. You have now entered your own personal “Twilight Zone” [hear the theme music?]. You’re between your perceived reality, fed by an old enemy’s emotional manipulation, and faith-filtered reality. Twilight Zone. Nothing feels real or right.

What do the self-help gurus keep saying—visualize! “Learn to use the power of your mind and the energy of the universe to get what you want out of life!” Close, but no cigar. Mahalia had it right—“move on up a little higher”. Come on, dip in that Bethesda pool and be healed [where’s Rev. Ike and his prayer cloths when you need ‘em?]. Andre said, “Stop depending on your feelings, and start trusting in His word.”

That leads to Example #3, the “though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” end of the spectrum. Whoa, there, pilgrim--mature Christian talk ahead! What, you thought “faith” was cute Christian-speak? In God’s lexicon, faith is a serious action verb, to be accessed and used much more than spoken. Oh, you thought if you could see the light at the end of the tunnel, then you could believe? Anh [buzzer sound], wrong! Faith is KNOWING God knows how to work your life WHILE you are still in that dark tunnel with locomotives coming from BOTH ends! Even if you NEVER see how it works out in your lifetime. Visualize that!

Faith is worthless sitting on that shelf with that Bible and potentially live connection with an on-time God. “Lord, I believe—help thou my unbelief!”