God is Shy
"God gives us just enough to seek him, and never enough to fully find him. To do more would inhibit our freedom, and our freedom is very dear to God." Ron Hansen.
At first this comment in Philip Yancey's book "Reaching for the Invisible God" shocked me. He says "God is shy." What he means by that is that "God is shy to intervene." And when you think about it it really is true. God allows many things to happen on this planet that must make him unhappy. An abused children for example or father who abandons his children. Sometimes God does intervene in miraclous ways such as with the Israelites being led out of Egypt. But, first we should remember that that was after 400 years of enslavement.
We might pray for a particular couple to be reunited only to hear that months later they divorce. Or maybe for a wayward child to return to God only to hear they died of a drug overdose. The extent to which God allows us to make choices and then to live with those choices is amazing. Considering how many times our choices can hinder his plan for our lives and for others. It shows you how true the quote is that this post starts with, that our freedom is very dear and important to God.
The fact is, that God could overwhelm us with his power. He could thunder from the heavens and shock us into submission. He does show up a few times in scriputre with thunder and lightning and terrifying everyone around. But, that doesn't appear to be the way that God most of choses to operate. Rather, he choses to love and then to express that love through His Son. He choses love over fear to motivate us to in turn, to chose Him.
The way that God works Yancey says is illustrated in 1 Kings 19:11-12 where it says, "Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper." Then when God does speak, he does scold Elijah for running from Jezebel, but simply says, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" verse 13. He demonstrated mercy and gentleness even here where he has a right to say to Elijah, "I just threw down fire from heaven. What is wrong with you?" But, instead he gently whispers and confides in His prophet.
This fact that God loves us appears to be the overwhelming motive behind why God does what he does. He does not love us because we are valueable, but because it is His nature to love. His love makes us valueable. He loves because it is part of who He is. And that love is without limit or restraint and also without strings attached. I cannot make God love me more or less by what I do or say. I cannot earn it or demand it or manipulate it. This reality that God loves us is what should cause us to then accept ourselves. If the God who made us, loves us, then whose opinion matters more than that.
At first this comment in Philip Yancey's book "Reaching for the Invisible God" shocked me. He says "God is shy." What he means by that is that "God is shy to intervene." And when you think about it it really is true. God allows many things to happen on this planet that must make him unhappy. An abused children for example or father who abandons his children. Sometimes God does intervene in miraclous ways such as with the Israelites being led out of Egypt. But, first we should remember that that was after 400 years of enslavement.
We might pray for a particular couple to be reunited only to hear that months later they divorce. Or maybe for a wayward child to return to God only to hear they died of a drug overdose. The extent to which God allows us to make choices and then to live with those choices is amazing. Considering how many times our choices can hinder his plan for our lives and for others. It shows you how true the quote is that this post starts with, that our freedom is very dear and important to God.
The fact is, that God could overwhelm us with his power. He could thunder from the heavens and shock us into submission. He does show up a few times in scriputre with thunder and lightning and terrifying everyone around. But, that doesn't appear to be the way that God most of choses to operate. Rather, he choses to love and then to express that love through His Son. He choses love over fear to motivate us to in turn, to chose Him.
The way that God works Yancey says is illustrated in 1 Kings 19:11-12 where it says, "Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper." Then when God does speak, he does scold Elijah for running from Jezebel, but simply says, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" verse 13. He demonstrated mercy and gentleness even here where he has a right to say to Elijah, "I just threw down fire from heaven. What is wrong with you?" But, instead he gently whispers and confides in His prophet.
This fact that God loves us appears to be the overwhelming motive behind why God does what he does. He does not love us because we are valueable, but because it is His nature to love. His love makes us valueable. He loves because it is part of who He is. And that love is without limit or restraint and also without strings attached. I cannot make God love me more or less by what I do or say. I cannot earn it or demand it or manipulate it. This reality that God loves us is what should cause us to then accept ourselves. If the God who made us, loves us, then whose opinion matters more than that.
