Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Understanding God

This passage has meant a lot to me over the course of the last week. Just wanted to share (and flag it for myself for later.)

"Too often we think of religion as a far-off, mysteriously run bureaucracy to which we apply for assistance when we feel the need...if we thought about it...we would not want it to work that way. If God is God at all he must know more about our needs than we do; if God is God at all, he must be more in touch with the reality of our thoughts, our emotions, our bodies than we are; if God is God at all, he must have a more comprehensive grasp of the interrelations in our families and communities and nations than we do.


If we want to understand God, we must do it on his terms. If we want to see God the way he really is, we must look to the place of authority--to Scripture and to Jesus Christ...We would very soon become contemptuous of a god whom we could figure out like a puzzle or learn to use like a tool. No, if God is worth our attention at all, he must be a God we can look up to--a God we must look up to: 'I look to you, heaven-dwelling God.' (Psalm 123:1)"
-from A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson

2 comments:

Colored With Memories said...

that is excellent.

Emmy said...

I LOVE that... I had to read it twice! Awesome! : )