God is doing some retooling of my thought in a deep place within me. I am living in Job 35-42 these days. I try to read it as often as possible and simple allow the logic to sink into my understanding. Here is my reflection from my time with God today:
Job 36:26 “How great is god – beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out.”
“God can be known BUT He can not be fully known. To simply not seek to know him is foolish and displays a lack of understanding, love and appreciation. YET to even imagine that you “know God” is an arrogant error, which reveals not only ignorance but also a very limited scope of understanding. To view what we know of God as “knowing God” demonstrates a view of God, which is very small.”
Perhaps I am splitting hairs, but it is where God has me right now. Perhaps another time I will need and He will reveal His nearness to me. But for this season I think I need and He is allowing me to discover His completely otherness, His set apartness, His holiness. God is unaffected by me.
“God is unaffected by me”? Ouch.
I hate to disagree with the pastor, but I will on that statement, just because of the way it felt when I read it. I know we are really just talking semantics here Jay, but if God was unaffected by (little old) “me”, why would he send his son to sacrifice all he did? Why would God ever show emotion toward what we do if I have no effect on him? I agree that my actions are not going to change anything God does in his plan, but I really get concerned personally when people talk about our comparison with God and we end up being worthless and petty in God’s eyes. I know I am important to God. I know all he sacrificed for my good. Therefore I do not believe what I do, how I feel, etc. have no effect on God.
When I hear people say we are “nothing”, we are “tiny” or other small descriptor, it ruins my picture of God with his arms wide, always ready to hear, forgive, and love me. I need that picture every day, and I need to know how important I am as an individual to my Lord.
Like I said — semantics, but important to address I think.
Comment by Dennis Rice — December 29, 2006 @ 11:37 am |
Yea i am completely with you. It is just that my perspective was out of balance. I jumped too easilya nd quickly to my significance to God. Grasping that he is my abba- daddy – who loves me unconditionally is so in my DNA. I have gotten to one demensional and there is danger in only viewing God one way. he is mysteriously simulataneously both.
Comment by Jay Hanson — December 29, 2006 @ 12:07 pm |
…. “he is mysteriously simultaneously both” ….
And I am thankful for that. Knowing he is SO big gives me comfort that there is nothing I can do, can say or think that he cannot overcome. The only stumbling block to my relationship to and complete trust of him….., is ME. But I also love knowing that to him, I also am important, all the time.
I know I need work there, but I also know he is always there to help me. I always have that “fresh batch of Grace” waiting for me.
Awesome.
Comment by Dennis RIce — December 29, 2006 @ 1:50 pm |
I, too, had issues with the statement “God is unaffected by Me”…those words kinda felt like a punch in the stomach….yesterday I was in a place with God of feeling like I had spent time with a friend, one who I had ignored and not paid attention to in awhile, Do I think my time with him is more valuable than his time for anyone or anything else? Certainly not. I am in awe that he cares about each little part of our lives.
If I think of “effect” I think of change…is God changed by me? No. But, I think of “affect” as feeling..is God affected by me, by us?…I think of God seeing us thru a father’s eyes: feeling pride, joy, disappointment, as he views our lives (and experiences them with us).
I think our time of worship would be quite different if he were “unaffected” by us.
Jay, I do think you are right on…It’s so important to allow God to reveal his greatness to us, and to realize that we do know only a small part of him, there is danger in becoming too comfortable with the intimate side of God, of becoming complacent, of putting ourselves up on a pedestal and forgetting his holiness, reverance. I needed to be reminded of that.
I am so thankful that he is “mysteriously simultaneously both”
Comment by rufwriter — December 30, 2006 @ 8:46 am |
Hey Jay: See if I am in toone.
While God wants us to know him, we can not fully know him as he is too great for our comprehention. we can only seek to know him better today than yesturday. At times in my day,week, month, God does seem distant and unknowable. But I still call out to him for more knowledge and closeness. I can not change God by what I do in this world, but He can change me and what I do in this world if I only allow him to do so through the Holy spirit that lives in me.
Thanks for allowing me to share in my fog
BakerBill
Comment by bakerbill — January 5, 2007 @ 12:17 pm |
Why does God remain quiet and distant? Do we have to guess if we are in the will of God? How do we know? How do we know if we are in the middle of something, so far beyond our comprehension, whether or not God wants us there? He doesn’t speak.
Adam, Eve, Cain, Moses…they all heard God’s voice audibly. We don’t. How long does He let things go on before you finally see the other side of the situation? I know you can’t answer that. I suppose it’s one of those nights where circmstances are overwhelming and I search for anything that has to do with God and law. I’m encouraged by your blog and I’m glad I found it, but your posts about God makes me wonder how you know your doing what your suppose to be doing. I don’t doubt how big God is. I can look around and see the universe and know He’s there. It’s just very difficult to know what it is He wants you to learn before you can finally get past a hurdle in your life that doesn’t seem to go away, and yet He doesn’t tell you what it is you’re doing that make you out of place before He can reveal His plan for your life.
If I didn’t have neighbors, I would go outside and scream to the top of my lungs at Him and just say let me quit..I’ve had enough.
Comment by Pro Se — May 1, 2007 @ 11:18 pm |