Every person who believes that Christ Jesus is the son of God, and follows the path He laid out in the Scriptures, will eventually come to that place in their journey filled with questions, wonder, uncertainty and doubt.
Ninety-year-olds having babies, parting seas, and stories of giants falling at the hands of children. Stories that pale when compared to the miracles of a virgin birth, instant healings, and the resurrection of the dead.
When we look at the text of scripture with our human understanding, it can seem more like mythology than truth. We struggle with the how’s, the what’s, and the when’s; working to fit the stories into our perception of reality. The bible tells us that we do not possess the knowledge1 to comprehend the Universe created by God, so why do we try?
Think about the world around us. We see different realities everywhere we look. Busy Ants scurrying to prepare for a cold winter that live an existence we cannot resolve in our human brains. Ants communicate without talking and seem oblivious to the restraints of gravity. Just think, if an ant falls off the Empire State Building, eventually they will land on their feet.
Scientists have long talked about multiple dimensions or alternate realities, and the bible is filled with references to “realms”2 where things are different than what we see. It is not that the biblical realms don’t exist, but more our inability to comprehend alternate realities. For those that know the story of Elisha and his servant,3 it only took a prayer to God to remove the scales and reveal God’s angelic realm to Elisha’s servant. Consider that our everyday reality is filled with alternate universes. Hummingbirds live in a world so fast that it must be like watching a slow-motion movie. While a Sloths world is so slow, they are generally unaware of things going on around them. They both exist in our world, and we can see them; however, are they aware of each other? So, it is with perception. We see what we understand, not what is truly there. Humans see Sloths and humans see Hummingbirds, but they probably don’t see each other, three separate worlds existing in the same place.
It is when we focus on our reality; the how’s, the what’s, and the when’s, that we become slaves to our perception and our limited knowledge. Human beings always evaluate their surroundings by their understanding. We give inanimate objects human traits to rationalize behavior like, “my computer is waking up slow today”, or “my car is mad at me”, … We do the same thing with God. “God must be angry,” or “God is too important to know who I am.” Like the Sloth cannot understand the world of the Hummingbird, we humans cannot grasp the reality of God’s multi-dimensional universe.
Scripture tells us repeatedly that the Kingdom of God is here and now4 and that it is not meat nor drink.5 So, when we come to that place in our walk with God, where the questions and doubts outweigh our comprehension, we must turn to faith in things unseen. We are called to believe in the unknown, to move forward with faith, to trust God. We must focus on the Why of God, not our perception of the how’s, the what’s, and the when’s.
The constant of scripture is that God loves each one of us. There is no requirement for knowledge and understanding, just a Great Commandment to Love God with all our heart, soul, and mind; and to love others as ourselves.6
God’s only desire for us is to spend eternity with Him, showered in His unconditional love, and the peace that can only come though His Amazing Grace.
1) Micah 4:12
But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD, Nor do they understand His counsel; For He will gather them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
2) John 18:36 NASB
“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”
Ephesians 3:10 NIV
His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, …
Daniel 4:17 NASB
“This sentence is by the decree of the angelic watchers, And the decision is a command of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, And He grants it to whomever He wishes And sets over it the lowliest of people.”
3) 2 Kings 6:17
And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
4) Mark 1:15…
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
5) Romans 14:17
“for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
6) Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”