Once or twice in my life, I’ve stumbled over an appealing trail or a surprising vista that screamed to be shared. You find something like this—say, a winding path that disappears behind a shimmering waterfall—stare in amazement, and then rush off to find someone else to explore it with you.
In a similar way, I think, God rushes to drag us to heaven so that we can see what he sees, the greatest joy and beauty of the universe, which God, explorer-like, has tapped: Himself.
The boast of the egoist rings hollow when we take a good, hard look—because he is not all that. But God’s forays into a dark world to rescue people for divine glory are not the acts of an egoist. This is because God knows, and has unveiled, the great happiness of the cosmos, and it is not his vanity but his honesty that compels him to share it.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Wonder of the Other World
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4 comments:
I have loved the reflections on God that you've been posting in the last couple weeks. The thing I like best about this post in particular is your suggestion that God is excited about sharing something good with us.
It's easy to see God handing down rules, or managing the universe, or acting in an official divine capacity as answerer of prayers. But to see Him excited? About sharing something with us?
Now that's cool.
I think that is also one reason we praise God together.
His glory is so overwhelming we just have to share it.
Muy bien. Understanding that God is principally engaged with spreading His own glory is a great rollercoaster ride. What else is valuable enough to command His attention? Thankfully, He desires to involve our dumbasses. (Can I say that here?)
I was first exposed to this tumultuous truth by John Piper. Which reminds me, I wanted to ask for prayers for Mr. Piper. He has prostrate cancer.
Read his letter to his congregation here. It is unreal.
"God is excited about sharing something good with us."
As J says, this is indeed 'cool'...and impossible to get to the bottom of. God acts with unfathomable, counter-intuitive generosity. As Oneway notes, there's no discernible reason for his dragging our rears into this glory parade. The urge to stand and applaud is almost irresistible.
Right on, Allan, Elisa - I suspect there is a transforming, 'addictive' power in worship that we can just begin to understand in the here and now. Eventually, we'll see it all: worship as it really is.
Thanks for the update on Piper, Oneway. He's influenced me as well, and I'll actually get to hear him speak at a conference in a couple weeks. In light of his cancer, I know his words will bear incredible weight.
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