Certainly, there has been no experience of sudden Christian revelation in my life. I have never been rescued from impending disaster (as far as I know) by either fate or divine intervention. Oh sure, I’ve faced some tough decisions and even asked for God’s help in making the right choices. But if God helped me choose, he was mighty subtle about it.
Sometimes when I read of the Christian Experience of persons affiliated with physical disease or mental suffering, or murderers who find salvation on death row, or of others who find Christ under conditions of adversity, I’m tempted to believe that God is merely man’s way of handling matters that are too big for him.
But not all Christian experience is dramatic or instantaneous. If we are perceptive enough, we can see persons around us who grow steadily in faith, love and understanding. Their growth would be hard to attribute to personal diligence or intellectual training, but it does occur—and without any definite turning point or spectacular leap.
Certainly, God in his infinite wisdom should not be expected to enter into and affect each of our lives in the same manner. And which of us has not learned the difference between what we wish or expect and what is best for us? Perhaps the greatest wonder of our wonderful Lord is his willingness to transcend our petty expectations, specifications, and dissatisfactions and to continue to work in our lives. It must sometimes be very tempting for him to give us what we ask.
No comments:
Post a Comment