Lost in the silent solitude of recent days, I have been impressed anew with the vast handiwork of our incomprehensible God. The psalmist was correct: The heavens do indeed tell of the glory of God . . . their expanse does indeed declare the work of His hands (Ps. 19:1).
At a time when one-upmanship and human intimidation have become an art form, it is delightful to be reminded anew that "Our God is in the heavens" and that "He does whatever He pleases" (Ps. 115:3).
Old Zophar was right on target when he asked:
"Can you discover the depths of God?
Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?
They are high as the heavens, what can you do?
Deeper than Sheol, what can you know?
Its measure is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.
If He passes by or shuts up,
Or calls an assembly, who can restrain Him?"(Job 11:7‑10)
We need that reminder, we who are tempted to think we're capable of calling the shots. We need to be brought down to size, we who feel we've got a corner on our own destiny.
Not only do we feel capable of declaring His overall plan for our own lives, we think we have the ability to discern each detail of His panoramic plan across the centuries. What a joke! We're doing well to "trust and obey" on a day-to-day basis.
Author Annie Dillard, in her prize-winning work Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, writes: "In making the thick darkness a swaddling band for the sea, God 'set bars and doors' and said, 'Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further.' But have we come even that far? Have we rowed out to the thick darkness, or are we all playing pinochle in the bottom of the boat?"
Such questions do what they're supposed to do: make us uncomfortable. But in our discomfort an essential change takes place. God becomes what and who He should be to us, namely God Incomprehensible.
We need to discipline ourselves to think on these things! We need to refocus our minds from the horizontal to the vertical. We need to rise above the nonsense of human viewpoint and tedious worries about non-eternal issues. We need to get on with thoughts that really matter.
It's time we got reacquainted with our Maker. It's time we got closer to His thick darkness. Sure beats playing pinochle in the bottom of the boat.
"Teach us to know that we cannot know, for the things of God knoweth no man . . . . Let faith support us where reason fails, and we shall think because we believe, not in order that we may believe" (A. W. Tozer).
Taken from Day by Day with Charles Swindoll by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2000 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson. www.thomasnelson.com
Used with permission. All rights reserved.
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