As children, we spent a lot of time with our heads in the clouds; at least, I did. But adulthood has a way of grounding us. The idealism of youth eventually fades into the pragmatism of maturity. But though lofty imaginations give way to realistic expectations, a lot of questions persist.
When?
How?
Where?
What?
Why?
Our brain has 86 billion neurons, 1000 trillion synaptic connections, 1 trillion bit per second of processing power, and 1000 terabytes of memory. Why would God give us the potential to hold such vast amounts of information and knowledge if we were not meant to utilize all of it? Why did He give us an extensive capacity to know and yet we know so little?
Ptr. Steven Furtick, in his teaching last Sunday, affirmed one of the things God's been saying since the onset of this coronavirus pandemic: "You don't need to know the 10-year plan to praise God today. Releasing your need to know is the hardest thing." Why is that?
We want to understand. Science was born out of that perceived need. We've sought to explain intangible aspects of the universe with tangible methods, the infinite mind of its Creator using finite means and when we fail at putting the unquantifiable in a box, we dismiss it as myth. Knowledge and understanding is good, some even say it's power; but the blind pursuit to quench our thirst of it could be detrimental instead of edifying.
On various occasions over the years, we have asked God WHEN He's going to move, HOW He will cause things to unfold, WHERE do we start, WHAT is taking so long, and WHY He has not given us the clarity we think we need. Our desire to know and make sense of everything that happens in our lives--the rejection, the unmet expectations, the hurt, the losses, the unfulfilled dreams--is inherent in our nature. From the moment Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we have carried this burden in our souls, this incessant drive to satisfy our curiosity. But perhaps we don't need to fathom the unfathomable; maybe mysteries need to stay that way.
On the one hand we declare that God is in control; but on the other, we refuse to let go of the reins. In one breath we say God knows everything; but in another we question the work of His hands. Either God is God and He is omniscient or He isn't. If the former, then we can trust Him and we could abandon this quest of comprehending all the hows and whys of our situations, conundrums, and predicaments. If the latter, then we are doomed to the torment of thoughts that run amok and dominate our consciousness. A form of hell, wouldn't you think?
The Bible says that God gives wisdom and knowledge to the people who please Him (Ecclesiastes 2:26) and if we ask it of Him, He will give it to us (James 1:5) because wisdom, the kind we get from above, helps us discern the will of God for our lives (Ephesians 5:15-17), therefore, essential to our Christian walk. So, certainly, it's not wrong to ask God for understanding. But God doesn't operate the way we want Him to, reveal truths as we expect them, and according to our timetables. In due course, He makes all things clear. We simply need to trust and be patient.
Yes, by all means, we should ask God for wisdom. But with it ask for an abundance of patience and throw in a good measure of joy, peace, and faith. Because in seasons similar to the one we are in now, a season where nothing seems to make sense, a season where the need to understand could become the root cause of our anxieties, we are going to need a lot of the other stuff as well.
When?
How?
Where?
What?
Why?
Our brain has 86 billion neurons, 1000 trillion synaptic connections, 1 trillion bit per second of processing power, and 1000 terabytes of memory. Why would God give us the potential to hold such vast amounts of information and knowledge if we were not meant to utilize all of it? Why did He give us an extensive capacity to know and yet we know so little?
Ptr. Steven Furtick, in his teaching last Sunday, affirmed one of the things God's been saying since the onset of this coronavirus pandemic: "You don't need to know the 10-year plan to praise God today. Releasing your need to know is the hardest thing." Why is that?
We want to understand. Science was born out of that perceived need. We've sought to explain intangible aspects of the universe with tangible methods, the infinite mind of its Creator using finite means and when we fail at putting the unquantifiable in a box, we dismiss it as myth. Knowledge and understanding is good, some even say it's power; but the blind pursuit to quench our thirst of it could be detrimental instead of edifying.
On various occasions over the years, we have asked God WHEN He's going to move, HOW He will cause things to unfold, WHERE do we start, WHAT is taking so long, and WHY He has not given us the clarity we think we need. Our desire to know and make sense of everything that happens in our lives--the rejection, the unmet expectations, the hurt, the losses, the unfulfilled dreams--is inherent in our nature. From the moment Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we have carried this burden in our souls, this incessant drive to satisfy our curiosity. But perhaps we don't need to fathom the unfathomable; maybe mysteries need to stay that way.
On the one hand we declare that God is in control; but on the other, we refuse to let go of the reins. In one breath we say God knows everything; but in another we question the work of His hands. Either God is God and He is omniscient or He isn't. If the former, then we can trust Him and we could abandon this quest of comprehending all the hows and whys of our situations, conundrums, and predicaments. If the latter, then we are doomed to the torment of thoughts that run amok and dominate our consciousness. A form of hell, wouldn't you think?
The Bible says that God gives wisdom and knowledge to the people who please Him (Ecclesiastes 2:26) and if we ask it of Him, He will give it to us (James 1:5) because wisdom, the kind we get from above, helps us discern the will of God for our lives (Ephesians 5:15-17), therefore, essential to our Christian walk. So, certainly, it's not wrong to ask God for understanding. But God doesn't operate the way we want Him to, reveal truths as we expect them, and according to our timetables. In due course, He makes all things clear. We simply need to trust and be patient.
Yes, by all means, we should ask God for wisdom. But with it ask for an abundance of patience and throw in a good measure of joy, peace, and faith. Because in seasons similar to the one we are in now, a season where nothing seems to make sense, a season where the need to understand could become the root cause of our anxieties, we are going to need a lot of the other stuff as well.
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: Good job. 😊
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