It’s easy to believe in a God of love, of infinite wisdom. This is the God who sent His Son, the God who knows the future, the One who has a plan for us. But when tornados strike down the houses where our children are eating, the bottom falls out of the stock market, and fire rains down from heaven, figuratively or literally, we back off the God of power. He becomes a great, big teddy bear of a person, our friend and confidant, the commiserating brother who really wishes He could help.
It’s easy to believe in a God of love and infinite power. He created the world, reacted to the sin problem with an incredibly loving sacrifice, His Son, and in His great power, raised Him from the dead so every time one of our sins catches Him by surprise, Jesus can run around with a mop cleaning up after us. When bad things happen, we back off the God of wisdom, certain that while He didn’t see it coming, He can certainly turn it around.
Perhaps it’s even easier to believe in the God of power and wisdom, and when bad things happen to good people, we back off the God of love. He’s God, owes us no explanation, and we are too small. We escape His notice. If my total annihilation brings Him glory, who am I to argue? As Loki said on the Avengers movie: Does an ant have a quarrel with a boot?
All of these are logical, reasonable, and fit with much of what the Bible says. But looking here, I find a marked absence of something essential. I see zero reason for peace.
I think sometimes in our haste to defend our God, we begin watering Him down to something simple, something our human minds can understand and our human hearts can relate to. But to water down God’s character to anything less than who He claims to be will not suffice. I will be forever worshiping a piece of God, and falling short of the peace only His entire character can provide.
Excerpt from “Peace and How to Keep It.”