Monday, April 17, 2006

Mysticism

It's a funny word I was reading about today. Here's the dictionary definition:

A belief in the existence of realities beyond perceptual or intellectual apprehension that are central to being and directly accessible by subjective experience.

To put it in a more understandable way, believing that there is something at the core of our spirit that it is impossible to see or understand. Sound like a definition of God to you?

Why do we think we can understand everything there is to know about God? That somehow in seven easy steps we can learn the four aspects of God? Do you really think God can be narrowed down into 4 pieces of knowledge? What about 40? 4 000 000 000? Or can we even count that high.

Yes, God has made Himself known to us. He has given us His Word and His Son, His Holy Spirit to comfort us and lead us. So He has undisclosed a small piece of Himself to us, and I am eternally thankful for that, but why is it that now that we have this little, tiny piece of information about God we think we know it all? We think that we have God figured out?

Somehow, we have taken the mystery out of God. We have placed our limited theology in its place and said, "Here's all there is to God. Know this and you'll be okay." But there's got to be more. More than anybody can know. So much more that you not only will never know it here on earth, you will never understand it. When King David was a boy he sat out in fields thinking about God, writing Him songs and he was said to know God, to have a heart after God's own heart (Acts 13:22). Someone who surrounded himself in the mystery of his creator. And somehow, in today's world, if you have a Bible on your palm pilot you're a better Christian.

So here's my confession. I don't have all the answers. I don't know God in His fullness. The more I have learned about God the more I realize there is so much more I don't know about God. And even though there are things that I will never, ever know until I get to talk to God myself in heaven, I'm still going to spend time with Him and pursue Him, learning as much as I can about Him from Him.

T

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

what? i thought you had all the answers. jk. i kinda skimmed it since im in school and all. amber

Anonymous said...

i read it all now and i agree