|
Go Back...
Surrender to the Mystery of God
by: Ellene Meece
The wonder of Christmas is believing the whole story. From unknown shepherds in a field reporting a sky full of angels singing, to a young girl saying she got pregnant by the Holy Spirit, to her interested suitor declaring he had a dream that he should marry her anyway, to important people seeking out this unprecedented family. Really?
And yet, having faith in an unseen God Who created our world, sent His only Son to be that human baby to live here and be the ultimate sacrifice who could save us from hopelessness and us believing the whole story is the most fulfilling surrender one can make. A surrender to . . . the mystery of God.
If we try to figure it all out with our finite brain, we will lose! The trend toward human reasoning in our spiritual walk, adding our limited interpretation to give credence to astounding Bible accounts, can put us in the serious deficit position of having to theorize the scriptures without the power of God. Even though we say we are giving priority to God's Word, we eventually find ourselves examining the mysteries of God through the lens of reason rather than the lens of faith.
On the other hand, we have been invited to know and understand the mysteries of God . . . through the eyes of faith and His Spirit:
The Scripture says, What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed.] Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit, for the [Holy] Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God [the divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man's scrutiny] (I Corinthians 2: 9-10 AMPC)
In his book, The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel shared the story of his two-year journey of deciphering the claims of the Bible, and in a thorough, investigative reporter way, trying to disprove their validity. However, even though the scriptures ultimately passed his examination process used as a legal editor of the Chicago Tribune, it was his surrender to the Author of the scriptures that freed his soul and engaged him with the mysterious truths written there.
The often used phrase, "God does not ask us to check our brain at the door," is true in the sense that He gave His children intelligence and it is a gift. However, utilizing that gift without the Holy Spirit and challenging and attempting to explain His Word with mere human reasoning . . . is death. Moreover, applying brain power as a sword of intellectual superiority toward others separates us from God and His true intentions. Secular humanistic reasoning cannot substitute for the mind of the Spirit.
"Now the mind of the flesh, which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit, is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the Holy Spirit is life and soul peace both now and forever. That is because the mind of the flesh [with its carnal thoughts and purposes] is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God's Law; indeed it cannot" (Romans 8: 6-7 AMPC)
Here are excerpts of a poem, Praise the Source of Faith and Learning, written in our generation by Thomas H. Troeger, that beautifully describes this surrender:
Let the sense of wonder flowing
from the wonders we survey
keep our faith forever growing
and renew our need to pray.
May our faith redeem the blunder
of believing that our thought
has displaced the grounds for wonder
which the ancient prophets taught.
Let us surrender to the mystery of God, the unknown, the unexplained, the wonder of the universe. After all, surrendering to human conjecture was and never will be based on scientific fact. It also takes faith to believe the purported theories surrounding "reasoning." But, surrendering to the mysteries of God by faith and His written Word will always produce soul peace and LIFE now and forever
|
Related...
replies
No replies have been added to this story. Click here to create a new reply Your Reply Was Added For Review...
|
