I find it interesting that in our country, we have a motto emblazoned on our monetary instruments, coins, and bills, “In God We Trust”. Yet, there are seemingly more and more people have a real problem acknowledging God. They seem to vary between outwardly denying the existence of God to sheepishly acknowledging “the Universe” as their higher power. Since God created the universe, how can God be the universe?
What I observe is that these God deniers are in essence insisting on understanding God relative to their own vision of reality. That vision is bound to the limits of space, time, and matter. This is the environment of our existence. When you refuse to imagine beyond these limits you can’t appreciate the existence of God who is not so limited as you are.
Consider the following:
Isaiah 55:8-9 New King James Version
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9 New Living Translation
8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
When you allow yourself to look beyond what we see, feel, and touch you are then positioned to accept God beyond our limitations. The means to accomplish this is faith. We have often heard the term “leap of faith” when someone must, often in a state of desperation, go beyond what seems rational and reasonable to their limited thinking.
In my book Solomon’s Recipe I chronicle my personal experiences where a leap of faith became necessary to navigate very trying challenges I had to face. The recipe begins with the very first ingredient TRUST in God. Before one can trust in God it is necessary to believe in God’s existence. It is difficult to believe in God when we insist on understanding God in the context of our existence. Hence the second ingredient of the recipe, ceasing to insist on our own limited understanding. These two ingredients require faith. Faith from scripture is described as follows:
Hebrews 11:1-3 New King James Version
By Faith We Understand
11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.
3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
Hebrews 11:1-3 New Living Translation
Great Examples of Faith
11 Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.
3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.
Hebrews 11:1-3 The Message
Faith in What We Don’t See
11 1-2 The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.
3 By faith, we see the world called into existence by God’s word, what we see created by what we don’t see.
These three translations provide an interesting a thoughtful way to embrace the concept of faith. Once you are able to take a faith leap, you can follow the rest of the recipe, acknowledging God in every situation and then accept the guidance God provides.
When faith is employed, our experiences provide recognition previously hidden from us. We can appreciate that God’s will for us is perfect when compared to our own will that is fraught with limitations and flaws. We can then effectively acknowledge our weaknesses and limitations and tap into the perfections of God. Then we can authentically proclaim “In God We Trust” and more personally “In God I Trust”!
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TURNING POINTS
The most significant turning point in one’s life can be the addition of faith into one’s life. The powerful addition of authentic faith opens the door to allowing someone to proclaim their trust in the Lord. Then life’s experiences take on a whole new meaning as I testify in Solomon’s Recipe.