So today, our dog Leah again proved her hunting prowess. She has, in fact, upgraded from shrews to rabbits.
So... um... yeah. I find that a little gross on gut level. I know that animals do that sort of thing. But still. Bleh.
I was thinking about it a bit, and realized that if this same dog which can rip a rabbit apart licks my hand all the time. Last night I was chasing around with her in the back yard and she got a mouthful of my hand. Having my entire hand in a dog’s mouth is not quite the greatest feeling I can imagine. But she is very, very gentle and careful, and has not hurt me at all. I trust her quite a bit not to.
Still, it’s a bit of a stunner to realize that this lovely, friendly dog could do some pretty serious damage to me if she wanted. And I cannot run as fast as a rabbit. At the same time, it’s comforting. I know that I can trust her, and knowing that she has those kind of abilities reassures me of her abilities to guard us.
There are inanimate objects which I feel similarly about. For instance, cars. They are insanely powerful and can do an incredible amount of damage very quickly, to other property, even to human life. But they are also an amazing tool, moving huge amounts of material and people incredibly quickly!
It’s the same sort of deal with a lot of my friends too. They have immense power in one way or another. Some of them can wipe me out with no problem. Some of them I could take down if I had reason to do so. But it goes far beyond that. The ones who know me -- actually know me well -- could hurt me far more deeply than the ones who only know me a bit. I have to trust that they won’t -- or lose that closeness.
There can be a strange tension, between the power and the trust.
It’s not so different with God. Those who try to make Him something that they can handle and not be frightened of will end up being frightened of many other things. This was pretty clearly seen in 9-11. Some claimed that God had not wanted the terrorist attacks to happen, yet had been unable to stop them.
Excuse me? What kind of comfort is that? Is that the sort of God who I trust hold my soul in His hand throughout all eternity? Is this the sort of God about whom Paul can confidently write,
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39)
The God who Paul wrote about was not at all powerless. He could be trusted to defend His people against anything. This would include terrorists, cancer, swine flu, economic depression, the common cold, and banana peels. Also anything else which you can think of.
In
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, the witch shears Aslan’s mane off, binds him, and taunts him as being a great house cat. What utter rubbish. And it’s proved utter rubbish, too. He doesn’t even bother answering her back, but the coming-back-to-life proves her abundantly wrong.
He is, as Lewis says, not a tame lion.
But He is good.
I like the Newboys’ answer to the tension.
How you gonna reckon with a God like this?
When you gonna face what you can't dismiss?
Whatcha gonna say to the … soul kiss that is my God?
Fearsome like the sag in a fat man's chair?
Sweeter than a patch of Rogaine hair?
How do you define what you can't compare?
This is … my God
And there's no use explaining what can't be contained
I'm not following a God I can lead around
I can't tame this Deity
That's why Jesus is the final answer
To who I want my God to be
He's who (I want my God to be)
How you gonna reckon with a God this great?
Why you wanna measure what you can't equate?
Whatcha gonna say to the … check mate that is my God?
Stronger than the burn of an aftershave?
Tender as a burger in your microwave
Rarer than the air in an empty grave
This is … my God
And there's no use explaining what can't be contained
How we gonna work this out?
To fabricate a God like this no doubt
We'd end up worshipping a Christ of our own design
But Jesus doesn't fit that profile
His ways aren't mine
I'm not following a God that's imagined
Can't invent This deity
That's why Jesus is the final answer
To who I want my God to be
He's who I want my God to beIn the end, I do not trust God in spite of His power which scares me. I trust Him BECAUSE of it, knowing that “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:11)
Comments (4)
yes
Great note!
Wonderful images here. It's worth musing over for a while. Xiexie!
I have to say though that having been bitten by a doberman on the behind is coloring my ability to trust.