The God box
"Is he safe? 'Course he's not safe! But he's good." - C.S Lewis, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"
When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
2 Kings 6:15-17
Sometimes, I think we all forget the power of God. We pray, but don't really expect an answer. Maybe we envision God as a friendly old king on a fancy throne, and we forget what He can do. We expect Him to operate in safe, predictable little ways. We go to Him more for life insurance than out of gratitude for His unending love and desire to know His power.
When I first read this passage, and I mean really read it, I was blown away. How much does our shallow sight miss in this world? Just imagine, whole armies of angels jumping to our defense! There is a lot more going on underneath the veil of this world than we realize. Let it never again be said in my hearing that Christianity is boring!
When was the last time you, or I for that matter, rolled out of bed thinking "Wow! I am so psyched to go out into the world today and serve God!"? Something is amiss here. Why does Christianity have such a dull reputation?
I think we've tried to shove our big, awesome and mighty God into a nice, neat little box. We’ve tried our hardest to keep Him caged up, so He can’t try anything particularly dangerous or unpredictable, and I think He’s getting a little claustrophobic. We want the lamb without the lion; we want the excitement without the risk. We want Him to be tame, safe, like a house pet. And that’s just not who God is at all. And how can we get fired up about serving God when we can’t even accept who He is?
We’ve got to let the Lion out of the cage. God loves the wild; He loves change, and He loves risk. If you’re not sure how I know this, just take a look around you at the world He made. It’s filled with fascinating creatures that are definitely not “safe”, unpredictable weather, and changing seasons. We have to accept that side of Him as well as the gentle, meek and kind side.
If you ever see a picture of Jesus, it’s bound to be one where He is depicted as the most non-threatening guy you ever met. Not that this side of Him is bad at all, but I think we need one or two pictures which show Him a little differently. How about a picture of Him throwing down the temple tables or calling a crowd a brood of vipers? How about a picture of Him knocking an entire crowd of men to the ground with a single word? I can’t stand letting this world believe that the God I serve is boring and predictable – we have more than enough people like that in the world already. I say let the Lion loose!
When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
2 Kings 6:15-17
Sometimes, I think we all forget the power of God. We pray, but don't really expect an answer. Maybe we envision God as a friendly old king on a fancy throne, and we forget what He can do. We expect Him to operate in safe, predictable little ways. We go to Him more for life insurance than out of gratitude for His unending love and desire to know His power.
When I first read this passage, and I mean really read it, I was blown away. How much does our shallow sight miss in this world? Just imagine, whole armies of angels jumping to our defense! There is a lot more going on underneath the veil of this world than we realize. Let it never again be said in my hearing that Christianity is boring!
When was the last time you, or I for that matter, rolled out of bed thinking "Wow! I am so psyched to go out into the world today and serve God!"? Something is amiss here. Why does Christianity have such a dull reputation?
I think we've tried to shove our big, awesome and mighty God into a nice, neat little box. We’ve tried our hardest to keep Him caged up, so He can’t try anything particularly dangerous or unpredictable, and I think He’s getting a little claustrophobic. We want the lamb without the lion; we want the excitement without the risk. We want Him to be tame, safe, like a house pet. And that’s just not who God is at all. And how can we get fired up about serving God when we can’t even accept who He is?
We’ve got to let the Lion out of the cage. God loves the wild; He loves change, and He loves risk. If you’re not sure how I know this, just take a look around you at the world He made. It’s filled with fascinating creatures that are definitely not “safe”, unpredictable weather, and changing seasons. We have to accept that side of Him as well as the gentle, meek and kind side.
If you ever see a picture of Jesus, it’s bound to be one where He is depicted as the most non-threatening guy you ever met. Not that this side of Him is bad at all, but I think we need one or two pictures which show Him a little differently. How about a picture of Him throwing down the temple tables or calling a crowd a brood of vipers? How about a picture of Him knocking an entire crowd of men to the ground with a single word? I can’t stand letting this world believe that the God I serve is boring and predictable – we have more than enough people like that in the world already. I say let the Lion loose!
posted by Leanne @ 12:49 p.m.
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