IOW: How small is my God?

"If we could understand everything God does,
then He'd have to be a small god--
small enough to fit in our little minds."

~ Randy Alcorn ~

What a remarkable way to express the bigness of God, by simply pointing out how small we often try to make Him. Yes, Randy Alcorn, strikes right to the center of the issue that causes our faith to be stretched. We want to understand everything God does. We demand answers to the "Why?" questions. We continually search for understanding, and unfortunately put our faith on the line if we don't find what we are looking for. Sometimes, we remember to turn to the Word and see what God, Himself, has to say on the matter. But more often than not, we tend to look to others and to our own logic, to figure it all out.

There have been many times over the course of my life that I have struggled with not being able to understand God's choices. But then again, who hasn't questioned at some point or another? Before I came to Christ, I acted out in anger and rebellious ways toward God for things I considered His fault. By the time I graduated from high school, I had lost two friends to car accidents and one to cancer. Why, God? Why? I screamed in the same breath that I declared He didn't even exist.

It has always struck me funny that I even returned to the Lord and put my faith in Him, considering the hard road I traveled throughout my childhood and teen years. Even that decision, to believe in Jesus, happened on the roller coaster of mourning the death of my friend's mother. Why? God, why?

I put my trust in Thee and naively believed that all would go well. Yes, God has abundantly blessed me and I see His sovereign hand all over my life, but that has not kept me from questioning God and searching for understanding. Most of the pain that has caused me to question God has not been my own, but of those that I love. The death of a young and beloved husband of my dear friend. Two sisters-in-Christ that have desperately wanted to conceive their own children, yet each month find themselves morning a loss again and again. A cancer battle fought by my sister-in-law. Pain of divorce from a young couple that was close to our heart. Each time, I've questioned God and wanted understanding. Instead, I've walked away with not knowing "why" and refusing to claim Romans 8:28 as solace. It isn't really of any comfort when you see a precious little blond growing up without her daddy--a daddy that would have given her the world if he could!

Through these circumstances, I've come to the conclusion that we do not have the ability to understand God's answers, which is why they are so elusive to us. God speaks of both the earthly and heavenly realms. But we only have a comprehension of the here and now. We may dream of heaven, pray for our souls to be join with God in eternity, and read the book of Revelation while painting a picture in our mind as to what it looks like, "on the other side....", but we truly don't have the answers because we've yet to experience it.

I believe Randy Alcorn is essentially referring to God's sovereignty, a subject many Christians tend to run from, myself included. We live in a culture that is entirely about me, myself, and I. We have been duped into believing that self-gratification is a guarantee of happiness. We want something, so we get it...at the drive through, off the internet, by working longer hours without a sabbath rest. We can't get our hands around God's sovereignty, because we've been living by our own sovereignty, calling all the shots all the time.

Recognizing the sovereignty of God requires an attitude of submission. Instead of trying to fit God into the palm of our hands, we must be willing to humble ourselves to fit into the palm of His. We resolve ourselves to the fact that God is BIG and His explanations are far more complicated than our little minds could ever handle. We let go of the need to know, while not letting our faith disappear in the process. Instead, we trust in the sovereignty of God that is wrapped up in His good and faithful purposes.

The God that allows hard things to come our way is also the same God that loves this world so much that He sent His one and only son into this world to save us from our sin. (John 3:16). He is a consistent and faithful God, and thankfully too big to ever fit into our small little minds. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to submit to a God that only understands life as I do. No, I'd rather give my life and trust to a God that understands much more than my little mind can comprehend.

This week's IOW is hosted by Finding Joy in the Morning.
Head over to read more IOW thoughts!


And if you have time, listen to this wonderful interview by the
Bible Answer Man with Joni Eareckson Tada.
It is profound and especially relevent to Randy Alcorn's quote.