By Chris WittsSunday 5 May 2013Morning Devotions with Chris WittsFaithReading Time: 0 minutes
Transcript:
I wonder how many times you’ve said to yourself ..”I wish life was less complicated. Nothing’s simple anymore”. I’m sure lots of people have said that with a heavy heart. Perhaps they think back to days gone by when life was simple. Unfortunately,life is a full of confusion and can be perplexing,and sometimes we yearn for simple answers.
Perhaps that’s why the book by Dr M Scott Peck was a top seller. The book was called “The Road Less Travelled” published in 1978 Maybe you’ve seen it. Peck is a psychiatrist,and this book remained at the top of the best seller list for 10 years. It inspired millions of people. But if you look at the first sentence you’ll read this. “Life is difficult. This is a great truth,one of the greatest truths.”. But the first 3 words relate to us. “Life is difficult”.
He wrote another book called “In Search of Stones. A Pilgrimage of Faith,Reason and Discovery”,which again examined the deep issues of life. In it he says “everything is over-determined”. Another way of saying it is “nothing can be explained simply”. Think about that ..you and I live in a world where we’re always looking for simple explanations. Life has a tendency to get complicated .. have you noticed? Regrettably there are no simple solutions to questions like.. “why did my friend die of cancer?” “why did the happily married couple suddenly divorce?” “Why don’t people like me?” These questions cannot be answered by a simple one-line explanation. And we are foolish to think we can give people a quick off the cuff answer. Trying to say “oh,don’t worry. It must be God’s will” is not helpful either.
Scott Peck has written not only as a professional psychiatrist,but as a Christian himself who asked questions himself about the involvement of God in our world. When healing occurs,is it due to human skill or the intervention of God? If healing does not come,is it human failure or because God doesn’t care? Setting up questions like that can lead to confusion,and often times despair and anguish.
Our scientific world strives for simple and effective explanations of the world in which we live. People of faith can go beyond that type of thinking,and realise that God is in our world. He is involved in our lives. We need to accept responsibility for our own actions,and we can’t always affect what is happening outside ourselves. Don’t try to look for simplistic explanations. Instead,try something else. Put your trust in a loving God who knows all about you .. your troubles and heartaches. He interacts with us in so many ways that we don’t understand. But we can always trust Him.
Habakuk was an Old Testament prophet who lived in troubled times. The Jewish people were being persecuted,and he couldn’t understand what was going on. So he pours out his prayer to God. ‘Why do you allow good people to fall at the hands of the wicked?”. Nonetheless,he trusted in the faithfulness of God,even in the mysteries of life. And then Habakuk made a remarkable statement. “Fig trees may no longer bloom or vineyards produce grapes. Olive trees may be fruitless,and harvest time a failure. Sheep pens may be empty and cattle stalls vacant. But I will still celebrate because the Lord God saves me. The Lord gives me strength. He makes my feet as sure as those of a deer,and He helps me stand on the mountains”
(Habakuk 3: 17-19). Up in his watch tower,Habakuk waits. And he doesn’t wait in vain. God answers him.. “There is a day coming when the innocent will be vindicated. If it seems slow in arriving,wait for it. If you would be found among the righteous,then you shall live by faith”.
I like the words of a Christian song that says “Many are the things I cannot I understand,all above me mystery I see. But the gift most wonderful from God’s own hand,surely is His gift of grace to me. Passing understanding is His boundless love,More than I can ever comprehend. Jesus in His mercy left His throne above,All to be my saviour and my friend. Higher than the stars that reach eternity,Broader than the boundaries of endless space. Is the boundless love of God that pardoned me; O the wonder of His grace.