Do
you ever wonder why? An unknown author said, "Tell a man there’s 400
billion stars in the sky and he’ll believe you, but tell him a bench has wet
paint and he has to touch it. Why? Why is it called a hamburger when it’s made out of beef? Why do you put suits in garment bags and put garments
in suitcases? Why are there five syllables in the word ‘monosyllabic? Why do
you drive on a parkway and park in a driveway? Why are they called departments
when they’re stuck together?" The "why" questions in life go on
and on. The examples just quoted are lightweight and entertaining, but there
are questions in life that create deep wonder in the human heart and stir the
human soul. Long ago the writer of Psalm 139, (believed to be King David
by many Bible students), thought about God’s constant presence with him. As he
contemplated God’s presence and total and complete knowledge of every detail of
his life – from the words that he spoke to the steps that he took, he was
overcome with the wonder of it all and exclaimed in verse 6, "Such
knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it."
The powerful sense of wonder toward God and His greatness led David not to
doubt and debate but to praise and worship! Things he couldn’t totally grasp
about the Almighty served to strengthen his faith and move him to worship and
serve the Creator as he recognized God’s greatness and his own smallness and
insignificance in comparison. The poet Robert Browning got near to the idea we
see in David’s words when he wrote, in his dramatic monologue poem,
"Andrea del Sarto" (published in 1855), "Ah, but a man’s reach
should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?" The exact meaning of
Browning’s statement in the poem is debated, but the idea seems to be that our
imagination often exceeds our total understanding. Does your reach ever exceed
your grasp?
The apostle Paul reminds us in Ephesians 3:17-19 that
a total understanding of Christ’s love for us is beyond our grasp, even as he
directs us to keep reaching for it! The passage reads as follows – "that Christ may dwell in
your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be
able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and
depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you
may be filled with all the fullness of God." Did you catch it? Paul directs us to comprehend and know something
which he admits is so wide and long and deep and high that it "passes
knowledge" or the English Standard Version says "surpasses
knowledge." The love of God shown to us through His Son is just too
vast and immense and big for human beings to totally grasp and master and own
it! We can, and we should, and we must reach for a deeper understanding. The
same apostle wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:14a that "the love of
Christ compels us" – and noted that since Jesus died and rose again
for us, we should live for Him. Jesus demonstrated His great love for us at the
cross (Romans 5:8). That demonstration moved Isaac Watts to write,
"Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all" (3rd
verse When I Survey the Wondrous Cross). A total grasp of God’s love for
us is beyond our reach. But in reaching for it we grow in our love for Him.
That’s when serving Jesus becomes a joy. Think about it.
– Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN
No comments:
Post a Comment