Posts Tagged ‘human logic’

When God’s Ways Boggle Human Logic

Friday, January 7th, 2011

Have you ever wrestled with God’s ways not making sense? Honestly, sometimes I shake my head at how He boggles human logic.

My last blog told the story of how God directed our family away from a lucrative position and lakefront home to a year-round Christian camp. My husband worked there as an intern for one year, during which time we received no income. When the internship ended, the director asked us to join fulltime staff and gave us the go-ahead to raise our own support. Our income, for our family of five, would depend on donors from that time forward.

Months passed. Our financial support team grew little by little; our anxiety grew by leaps and bounds. How will we pay our bills? we wondered. How can we afford dental care and orthodontics? Eyeglasses? Proper footwear for the kids? Ferry tickets? Insurance? Groceries? Gas?

While we fretted, God worked behind-the-scenes. One day Gene received an update about an investment he’d made while receiving an engineer’s salary. His eyes nearly popped when he read the statement. He ducked into his office for a moment, studied our financial records on the computer, and then returned to where I waited in the kitchen. “You’re never gonna believe this,” he said.

Turns out, we’d spent $12,000 from our savings during our internship with no income. Guess how much the investment gained during that period? Exactly $12,000. The revelation bolstered our confidence in God’s ways. I’ll bet He smiled as we gasped at His goodness.

Fifteen years later, we’re still living on faith support and watching God provide. It’s been quite a journey. We no longer try to decipher His strategy. We’re convinced He wants us to trust Him rather than a particular methodology.

Abraham and Sarah also wrestled with God’s ways. Abraham laughed in disbelief when God promised him a son through Sarah. He asked, “How could I become a father at the age of 100? And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?” (Genesis 17:17,18) And Sarah? She laughed silently to herself when told she’d bear a son within a year. She asked, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?” (Gen. 18:12)

God answered their doubts with His own questions: “Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?” Then came the clincher: “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (Gen. 18:14)

The outcome to Abraham and Sarah’s story answers the latter question with a resounding no. Our family’s history does the same. My journey has taught me that God’s methods defy human understanding. Nothing stands in His way when He wants to accomplish a specific purpose or fulfill a promise. Nothing.

Perhaps you sense God asking you to trust Him for something specific, something big today, but fear holds you hostage. My word to you is this: Surrender. Don’t try to decipher God’s ways before saying yes. Human logic is short-sighted. Believe that nothing is too hard for the Lord, do what He’s asked, and then watch out! He’ll boggle your mind.  

 Any insights you’d like to share?

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The Foibles of Human Logic

Friday, September 10th, 2010

I’m sitting in the board room of “FamilyLife Today” in Little Rock, Arkansas, as I write this. Quite frankly, this feels like a surreal experience. Years ago I was a stay-at-home mom who padded our family’s budget by cleaning other people’s homes. Later, after we entered a year-round Christian camping ministry, I scrubbed pots and pans and baked umpteen dozen birthday cakes for summer staff and campers alike. Never, ever – even if I outlived Methuselah – would I have imagined that someday I’d be sitting here, typing my blog as I wait for my turn to be interviewed by Dennis Rainey and Bob LePine about my book Moving From Fear to Freedom. The only thing I can say is that God is full of surprises for those who say yes to His assignments.

Dennis Rainey, Grace, Bob LePine at FamilyLife Today

I remember when I first sensed God nudging me to write this book. My human logic scoffed at the idea: “Who, me? You want me to do what? Are you kidding? I can’t do that.” It reminded me that I’d never taken a course about how to write books. And it ridiculed me with possible failure or rejection if I tried. Thank goodness God’s voice spoke louder than logic.

Relying on human logic makes sense in some cases. For example, we know that washing our hands with soap after using the toilet helps prevent the spread of disease. We understand that driving drunk will likely result in an accident. And spending money frivolously while on a limited budget will drain our bank account dry. Some facts about life never change and they don’t require the brains of a rocket scientist to figure them out. But human logic doesn’t always align with God’s method of thinking. Sometimes His ways look silly or even slightly ridiculous when measured against Human Logic 101.

How did Noah feel when God told him to build the ark? What did Joshua think when God told him to march around Jericho seven times and then blast it with trumpets? What did Moses feel when God told him to draw water from a rock for millions of thirsty Israelites? If these guys had listened to logic, their stories would have ended much differently.

Sometimes human logic is downright contrary to God’s thinking. Take for instance, the reasoning behind euthanasia or the abortion industry. Logic says inconvenience justifies the ending of life; God says all life is precious. Logic says we must have financial security; God warns us to trust in Him alone to meet our needs. Logic says we can satisfy our selfish desires in secret and get away with it God says what’s hidden in the darkness will be brought to light. Logic tells us we’re not skilled enough or smart enough or talented enough to do what God is asking us to do; God says He’ll equip us for the task.                                                                                                       

If we want to live life as God intends for us, then we need to discern the difference between human logic and His way thinking, and we need to choose the latter. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 says, “We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.” 

When human logic fails to align with what God says, we need to call it what it is: a false argument and a rebellious thought. If we listen to it and live by it, it becomes a proud obstacle that keeps us from knowing God. Our responsibility is to destroy it using God’s mighty weapons. We need to fill our minds with the Truth of His Word and listen to the voice of His Holy Spirit, obeying what He says rather than following the logic that leads us down the wrong path.

Human logic told me that I had little or nothing of significance to offer other women. God said otherwise.  If I’d listened to logic and agreed with it, I’d have rebelled against God. That would have prevented me from experiencing His amazing sufficiency and surprises.

Can you relate to what I’ve expressed today? Has human logic hindered you from experiencing life as God intends for you? If so, how?

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Risks and Rewards

Friday, June 18th, 2010

Without a doubt, risks can feel scary but they can reap huge rewards. Take parachuting, for instance. I’ve not done it (yet), but those who have rave about free-falling through the atmosphere until their parachute opens and wafts them to the earth.

I ride a Gold Wing motorbike. Risky? Yes. But nothing beats the unobstructed connection with the great outdoors and the rush of air past my face. Besides, riding allows me time alone with my husband and an escape from my office.

Grace and hubby with Gold Wing

Parachuting and motorbiking are physical risks. But what about God-given risks? You know, the ones that call us to “do it afraid” and trust whatever He’s telling us to do. They’re scary, too, but they also carry rewards. 1 Kings 17 tells about a widow who experienced this firsthand.

This woman was at her wits’ end. Her cupboards were empty save for a handful of flour and a little cooking oil. When the prophet Elijah found her, she was gathering sticks for a fire. She told him that she was planning to cook one last meal, and then she and her son would die (v. 12). Elijah listened for a moment, acknowledged her feelings, and then presented her with a challenge:

“Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the LORD sends rain and the crops grow again!”

Risky? Yes. Human logic would say that making bread for this man would leave her with nothing for herself and her son. But this challenge came with a promise of God’s provision. If she did what the man said, God would supply her physical needs. Could she trust that promise? Would she trust that promise?

The widow made her choice to do as Elijah said. She took a God-given risk and reaped the reward. “She and Elijah and her son continued to eat for many days. There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the LORD had promised through Elijah” (vv. 15,16).

I’ve experienced similar situations. They’ve not involved flour and oil, but they’ve required steps of faith taken with knocking knees. Launching International Messengers Canada, for instance, meant leaving behind the security of provided housing in our previous ministry and trusting God to supply financially so we could buy a home in the city where we moved. Was that scary? Oh yes, but taking the risk meant reaping the reward of seeing God provide each month to pay the mortgage on the townhouse we bought.

Frankly, I like life when it’s predictable and cozy, but that’s not where personal and spiritual growth happens. Predictable and cozy causes me to trust in my own abilities and become complacent. I lose my passion for and my awareness of my dependency on God. But risk-taking changes that. It keeps my faith alive and vibrant. It drives me into the Word and forces me to cling to God’s promises. It makes me aware of my dependency on God for absolutely everything. And I’m good with that. Obviously the widow was, too. She took the risk presented to her and she reaped the reward of seeing God provide.

What insights do you have about taking God-given risks? Any stories to tell?

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God’s Curious Methods

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Sometimes God’s methods for accomplishing His purposes leave me shaking my head. Gideon’s story is a classic example (Judges 7:1-8:17)

God told Gideon to rescue the Israelites from the Midianites. You’d think God, knowing the size of the task, would supernaturally rally the troops and then equip them with the latest in body armor and high-tech weaponry. At least that’s what human logic would assume. But the Divine doesn’t often give human logic a second glance.

In this story, God looked at Gideon’s army and said, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength.” And so the whittling process began. The troops initially numbered 32,000. God dropped that number to 300. Then He equipped them with rams’ horns, clay jars and blazing torches. And that’s how the victory was won.

Human logic and God’s methods often collide. Our nature feels secure when things make sense, when we can formulate plans and see how they’ll work. But God’s methods don’t fit our mould. He seems to delight in the impossible, even the ridiculous. And then He expects us to trust Him in the process! How audacious is that?

Why does God use curious methods to accomplish His purposes? Because He gets the recognition when there’s no human explanation for victory. Besides, our faith grows when we see His power at work. And unbelievers take notice. They ask questions. This paves the way for conversation about spiritual things.

Sometimes God’s methods make me squirm. But truth be told, I’d rather serve a God who embraces the impossible as opportunities to prove His power than a God limited to methods that my finite mind can understand. How about you?

Have you seen God using curious methods to accomplish His purposes in/through you?

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The Illogical Path

Friday, February 19th, 2010

(I’m at Missions Fest Alberta in Edmonton today through Sunday. Join my workshop on Saturday at 1:30 or stop by our International Messengers booth and introduce yourself!)

I admit it – sometimes I just don’t understand God. Why does He drop detours in my path when I’m trying to travel from Point A to Point B? Doesn’t He know that changing my direction messes up my plans? Doesn’t He know that His path sometimes requires more time than I’d prefer to spend on a particular journey?

Of course He knows. And when He chooses a particular path for me, it’s because He has a reason! Exodus 13:17,18 illustrates this beautifully: “When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, ‘If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’ So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.”

God could have led the Israelites on a shortcut – the path that seemed best according to human logic – but doing so would have taken them through Philistine territory and risked a war with the enemy. God knew that engaging in battle would have proven too much for His people. And so, He led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness to the Red Sea. The path that seemed illogical to the Israelites was actually planned with their best interest in mind.    

I’ll repeat that last sentence even if only for my own sake: The path that seemed illogical to the Israelites was actually planned with their best interest in mind.

This thought brings me great comfort and reassurance. According to the Israelites’ account, there’s no need to be afraid when life takes unexpected detours. There’s no reason for impatience when a long and winding road takes more time than a shortcut. There’s no need to divert and dash a different direction. If we’re in right relationship with the Lord and He’s our Leader, then we can trust Him and His ways. He knows the dangers that lurk and the battles He wants to avoid on our behalf.

What battles have you avoided by staying on His path?

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