A favorite pastor of mine used to always challenge his congregation to never look at your circumstances and derive God's character from them... but to always filter your circumstances through the lens of what you know God's character to be. What a true statement. And yet what a difficult thing to do. Our minds are so great at creating images and ideas of what we want or think God to be and if we allow these images and ideas to be created by our circumstances we will have created a god that is the figment of our imaginations, not the God of the Bible. C.S. Lewis learned this the hard way.
The tragedy that was cancer taking his wife's life caused him to question his belief in and idea of who God was. He testifies that God constantly ruined all of his previous thoughts of who he thought God was and/or should be.
He writes in a Grief Observed, "My idea of God is not a divine idea. It has to be shattered time after time. He shatters it Himself. He is the great iconoclast. Could we not almost say that this shattering is one of the marks of His presence? The Incarnation is the supreme example; it leaves all previous ideas of the Messiah in ruins. And most are 'offended' by the iconoclasm; and blessed are those who are not. But the same thing happens in our private prayers..."
What images or ideas do you have of God?
Are they consistent with Scripture's expression of God?
Have you ever thought that the Incarnation, what we are celebrating even this month, is a chief example of God completely shattering your images and ideas of Him?
And have you ever thought that when God does shatter those images and ideas it could just be a sign of His presence in your life?
Ask God, not for greater understanding this season... but greater faith... to accept Him for Who He is in simple trust... even if circumstances would try and communicate otherwise.
"The Great Iconoclast"- wow!
ReplyDeleteMy idea of God and His Kingdom has been shattered many times since moving to Augusta (and I pray it will continue to be shattered)!