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“Truly, you are a God who hides himself…….”
- Isaiah 45:15
I have known more than a few “know-it-alls” in my life: persons whose lack of humility gives birth to a form of arrogance that reinforces the illusion of their supreme intellect. I have not only known such people, but I have also engaged them in some friendly, and not so friendly, debates. At times these debates turned into mere foolishness because I found out that the “know-it-alls” not only have a hard time admitting defeat, but they also have enormous difficulty uttering those three words that are like kryptonite to their ego: I don’t know.
For know-it-alls, the phrase “I don’t know,” is like an admission of weakness or even some form of defeat. It is the primordial white flag waved on the battlefield of cerebral warfare. But for me, these words have proven to be quite comforting and have alleviated me of any temptation to suggest I know everything. Truthfully, admitting any level of ignorance in our culture can be unsettling when our society seems to be consumed with both “knowing” and unwilling to affirm the necessity of ambiguity and mystery. Daily advancements in information technology and the accessibility of a plethora of information make it difficult to accept that there are things that are unknowable. In fact, ambiguity and mystery are viewed as intolerable foes for those who place preeminence on certainty and absolutes.
This may be why the idea of God being a mystery is problematic to a “culture of knowers.” Many believe that God is nothing more than a term to be defined, a concept to be nuanced, or a theory to be tested; but God is none of these things. The prophet Isaiah declared, “Truly, you are a God who hides himself.” For those who loathe living with complexities and unanswered questions, a hidden God is offensive; and it this offensiveness that pushes us to a place where the only peace experienced comes when we feel like we know and understand God. But God cannot be known by the mechanisms of our human intellect, nor can God be reduced to words that are the constructions of our limited language.
True joy in life does not come from trying to completely understand or know God; true joy comes in the experience of being known by God. The words of Samir Selmanovic ring true, “We are unable to grasp God, even as we are being transformed by God’s grasp.” No matter how grand our attempts are at trying to get a grip on God, we do not grasp God: God grasps us. Perhaps, the best of our energies should be used in experiencing God, rather than trying to thoroughly understand and know God. God is…………………
Peace and Blessings,
Pastor Mike
Cheryl Faye
/ February 16, 2010Thank you, Pastor Mike, for this gem. One thing I appreciate about your teaching, especially in Bible study, is that when someone asks you a question and you don’t know the answer, you’re not so insecure that you can’t admit you don’t know. Aside from that, the most wonderful thing for me about my relationship with God is that I don’t know everything there is to know about God. The different methods God uses…the ways and times that God speaks to my heart are as varied as snowflakes. There is something beautiful about a mysterious God; for me, loving a God who is always present, though often silent can be fascinating. Just this morning, God spoke to me about a situation on my job–while I was cutting my hair. It wasn’t even a matter I had prayed about, but it was one that affected my attitude toward a co-worker. God showed me, through a gentle–albeit completely unexpected–tug on my heart, that my behavior was unacceptable as a professed child of God and my only response was, “You’re right, God. It’s not about him at all.” And that was because God knows me, not because I know God.
al
/ February 16, 2010I wonder how silent is a all knowing all powerfull omni present GOD who speaks in so many ways. There are 66 boooks and how many vereses. there’s the wind the rain.
Njeri Archer
/ February 17, 2010Thank you for this… truly this is the first time that I can see beauty in what I dont know. Last night’s bible study was so heavy and enlightening. It truly changed my perspective of myself and even the things “to do” or “accomplish” here. I see life in a new way and for once I can touch this life, this God, this way that I’ve never understood before… or rather never allowed myself to experience and truly believe before. This simple yet profound way of being is mine for the taking and I’m learning to let go. Thank you for chosing to stand up and embrace your journey in seeing you I gained courage to dig and press into God to face and walk my own .
Kercena
/ February 17, 2010Due to your Bible Study teaching coupled with what I read in the book “Introduction to Christianity” (authored by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, aka Pope Benedict XVI), I now realize how impossible of a feat it is to try and “define” God with human language and to interpret God language with human language. So, I had no problem agreeing with you that God is a mystery.
The portion of this blog that I focused on and re-read countless times over was the last paragraph, which suggested that the true joy in the Creator-Created relationship lies in the Created recognizing that God truly knows him/her/it and how we should consider placing more energy in experiencing God rather than trying to completely understand Him.
Interesting……
So this got me to thinking about how does “being known by God” coupled with my decision to focus on “experiencing God” work in my life. I kept thinking…and thinking…and thinking about it-essentially “trying to ‘get deep’ with it.” LOL! And, then the scriptures
Matthew 6:25-34 entered my head. Here, Jesus is talking about how non-human things, birds and lilies, just “live,” or rather just do what they were created to do. Hmmm. Maybe one possible interpretation of this scripture is that Jesus was trying to tell us that this living thing really isn’t that deep. That all we have to do is to do what we were created to do, which is live. And, everything else will take care of itself.
Jesus, after all, lived a life with a multiple of “true” God experiences. As such, maybe I should follow His lead, so that I too can have my own, personal God experiences.
Maybe……
Thanks for getting me thinking! And, shout out, to Sister LaKeesha and all the others in Africa, who are creating their own new, personal God experiences.
Charles P
/ February 17, 2010Pastor. I am glad I waited until after Bible Study to read these powerful thoughts as it allowed me to read it in the context of the question I asked you last night regarding the process of learning..unlearning and.. relearning. Like you, I often find great comfort in not knowing things. What a drag and a major burden it must be to hold the title of “know it all.” As McManus points out in “Wide Awake” we are born to be explorers..discoverers. To say we know it all is to suggest that there is nothing new to explore, examine, dream about, create and thank God for. You are right when you stated in a recent Bible Study that we are a generation of people who object to the end of a mystery that does not provide us with the answer to the mystery.
I, on the other hand, love when I am able to view a movie or read a mystery that does not provide me with their ending but allows me imagine and create my own. There are some books, movies and plays I have read or seen 20-30 years ago that I am still in the process of analyzing, debating and discussing. That was before the Bible came into the picture as well as your sermons and Bible Studies (don’t think I will ever have time to figure them out and I could not be happier).
I love the fact that God has given each of us the ability to live our lives enjoying His ever evolving mysteries but His evolving omni-presence. After all, who wants a God who we can figure out.
Charles
Kevin Stuckey
/ February 17, 2010I’m enjoying this whole “God” experience so much more now that God has brought me to this church. Even as I read the comments under this posting, I am truly seeing and feeling what it is like to be “born again.” The truth of the matter is, I was “Saved” a long time ago, but had yet to embrace a spiritual or emotional rebirth by God. Like most of us, I had accepted the “God doctrine,” but had failed to experience God walking with me and embracing that divinity. All I can think of is your reference to the song by Mary Mary, “It’s the God in Me.” Isn’t it amazing how popular that song is, yet we still fail to walk in what it really and truly means to embody God in us? After last night’s Bible Study, I believe I truly had a “rebirth” experience. And because of it, my job, my life, and my relationships can never be the same.
“And if I Go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.” This is so interesting. I agree that being where Jesus is may not be a geographic location, but could possibly be a state of being. What greater sense of Heaven is there than BELIEVING that you can do greater works than Jesus and that the same God who dwelled in Him, dwells and abides in you? I’m honestly not sure…but I don’t want to miss this opportunity.
Kevin
Anonymous
/ February 18, 2010Peace
in understanding that I dont need to understand
Him.
Freedom in knowing that
He is.
Joy is being who he created me to be.
Flaws and all.
But most of all
evolving and growing to be better.
Rob
/ February 19, 2010Pastor:
I would like to thank you for The Hidden God message that have brought clarity to the book that Iam currently reading. The tile of the book is EXPERIENCING THE DEPTHS OF JESUS CHRIST writen by Jeanne Guyon. Chapter nine title ABANDONMENT AND a HOLY LIFE talk about how to achieved godliness. A true beliver of our lord Jesus Christ has to learn to be abandoned to ” Jesus Christ and walk in a life of abandonment to him.” Pastor at Tuesday night bible study when you explored the meanig of John 14: verse 10 ” Don’t you belive that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me.” Jesus is revealing the Secret of His Being and his relation to the Father. In order for a ture beliver to FOLLOW ME they must live in ABANDOMENT to achieved godliness which is real, lasting and a genuine essence of the our Lord. ” The King’s daughter is all glorious within.” ( Psalm 45:13 )
Rob
/ February 19, 2010I await your comments.
Jacqueline Hurt
/ February 19, 2010Thanks for allowing me to understand that God’s grasp is good enough!
Rykiel
/ February 22, 2010You are…. you are God. I sing that everywhere. Reluctant to reduce God to my simple language. Friend, I appreciate you 200. And glad to hear from you daily Bless
dee dee
/ March 3, 2010Dear Pastor Walrod:
Thank You for being, for just BEING…The excellent teacher that you are. I thank God for you.
LadyRam
/ March 5, 2010Right on time! These words are right on time! As a teacher, I am always looking for different teaching strategies to reach ALL of my students, so Pastor Mike, yes I am biter of your “style” just a little. However, it is because of “biting” (old school) some of your teaching techniques/strategies, if you will, that I had the blessing of experiencing an awesome teachable moment with my 6th grade students as they decided to restructure our lesson of the day to questions about God, The reflections shared among my students were incredible. These questions and reflections coming from students deemed “unteachable” and “don’t want to learn”. We ended our lesson with my students having a sense of confirmation of belonging to just more than the human race. For me, a God-experience has occurred and words cannot express what it felt like.
Bessie M. Woodward-Slater
/ March 10, 2010Dear Pastor Mike,
I attended the 8:00 service Sunday after missing so many weeks. As always when I attend FCBC I received a much needed filling. I was happily fed and comfortably full from the word. I challenged by your message and even used it as a facebook message to my friends to challenge them: Are you giving God a full return on his investment in you.
Your message encouraged me to face me and stop fearing to succeed. I was not always this laid back person that accepted crumbs. However, for the last 7 years, I have a been plagued with this illness of laziness, self-doubt and procastination. I have dropped that wardrobe and have donned the clothes of the person willing to do more with what God has so graciously given me. Thank you for being the man of God that you are. I am never disappointed when I attend FCBC and feel that I will eventually be a new servant of God under you. Peace and grace to you pastor and may God always bless you and your family and the FCBC family.
Sincerly,
Bessie M. Woodward-Slater.
Lavansa Roach
/ March 18, 2010SAY WORD. I WILL SAY THAT GOD IS ALWAYS HIDING. IT IS AMAZING TO KNOW THAT GOD CAN HID. AS I WAS READING I FELT KIND OF LIKE GOD WHERE R U? U CAN NEVER PIN POINT GOD. NOW I REALLY BELIEVE THAT IF WE REALLY SEEK GOD WITH OUR WHOLE BEING WE WILL FIND HIM. I LISTEN TO WHAT GOD HAS TO SAY AND I MUST SAY ONE THING THE WAY I DESCRIBE GOD IS STRANGE, BUT HE IS SO GANGSTER TO ME. TO ME NO ONE CAN G GOD CAUSE HE SEES GAME FROM A FAR OFF. I THANK GOD THAT I AM UNDER YOUR TEACHING. I FEEL AS IF I KNOW THAT LANGUAGE EVERY TIME U SPEAK PASTOR MIKE. I HEAR THE FATHER SPEAK AND ONE GREAT THING I KEEP HEARING IN MY SPIRIT IS GOD DESERVE BETTER GLORY. I AM IN TOTAL AGREEMENT THAT THE EARTH IS IN TRAVAIL THE RAW, NAKED SONS AND DAUGHTERS ARE ABOUT TO STEP FORTH . GO GOD!!!
Dera
/ March 23, 2010Thank you Pastor Mike,
I have some days where I’m confident, and I confess I’ve practiced arrogance a time or two, but it’s troubling to see someone with no humility in their spirit. I’ve often heard the word ego stands for”Easing, GOD, Out”. When in the presence of people that behave over confident and arrogant to the degree that it becomes so obvious that they’re just “full of themselves”… I become uncomfortable. I began to feel as though I’m wasting my time, and so I immediately turn to GOD and think “I’m gonna have to pray for this person”. I continuously pray to remain forever teachable. I never want to get to a point where I think I “know it all”. I’ve learned throughout my journey, that when I get to that point where I start thinking it’s all about “me”, that I’m about to hit a wall. So I stay as humble as I can, and one way I do that is to remember the times of when I was so puffed up over me…it literally brought me to my knees – so again I say Thank You! Pastor Mike for the reminder and for the message.
WARRIOR
/ March 26, 2010I thank God for the experience from the TNT bible study. Thank you Paster Mike for showing me how to handle myself in a situation in standing for truth. Now I really understand what it is to stand for whats right. When you do stand for what is true you will come up against opposition. I am so thankful to God for it cause it sharpen me and challenged me on the faith that I have in God, thru Christ. It also showed me what a threat we really are to the kingdom of darkness. the light shall so shine cause God will get the total Glory that He rightfully desire.
God is definitly in that house!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ive been there for a minute , I will truly say God has healed parts of me in many ways that I thought would never happen. I should really say that I am healed an walking into all God created me to be. thank you Pastor for being submissive and obedient to the move of God. KEEP MOVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anonymous
/ March 29, 2010Tinia M. McCoy
/ April 8, 2010Pastor Mike,
Thank you so much for delivering that message on the 3rd service of Resurrection Sunday! These past few weeks God has truly been teaching me a lot and challenging me to grow in my spiritual life. Like the disciples, I wanted to get back in the boat and go fishing yesterday. God brought your message back to me… “Greater things.”
This coming Sunday marks a year that I’ve been a part of the FCBC Family, I’ve never had a pastor who is ON FIRE for the Lord like you. Thanks for all that you have taught me-and it aint over yet! Thank you.
Praying for you and your family.
Tania Yvonne Johnson
/ April 12, 2010Pastor Mike I am in California and have been blessed by your ministry. I would just like to encourage you to PRESS. You are making an impact in the kingdom and the demons are shaken! Press forward my brotha you are making a true impact and your voice is a trumpet which is calling for the people of God to Wake Up for the kingdom of God is near! Be encouraged Pastor Mike. God Bless You!