God Can't Fit into a Box

"But Joseph was upset when he saw that his father

placed his right hand on Ephraim's head.

So Joseph lifted it to move it from Ephraim's head

to Manasseh's head.

'No, my father,' he said.

'This one is the firstborn.

Put your right hand on his head.'

But his father refused.

'I know, my son; I know,'

he replied.

'Manasseh will also become a great people,

but his younger brother will become even greater.

And his descendants will become a multitude of nations."

Genesis 48:17-19 NLT

His mission?  To anoint the king who would replace Saul as king.  His tool?  A flask of oil.  His method? To let God show him which son of Jesse would sit on the throne.

Samuel obeyed God and traveled to the town of Bethlehem to find a man named Jesse.  When He arrived there, he told the elders of his intention to perform a sacrifice to the Lord and that they should gather all the men together for purification rites.  As Jesse and his sons arrived, he took one look at Eliab, the oldest, and thought to himself, Yep, this is the one!  He's the next king of Israel.

Knowing his thoughts, the LORD said, "Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him.  The LORD doesn't see things the way you see them.  People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."  (1 Samuel 16:7 NLT)  So Samuel considered each of Jesse's sons, but God eliminated them all from the running.

"Do you have any other sons?"  he asked the father of the chosen king of the nation of Israel.

"Yes, but he's just the baby.  He's out in the field tending to the flocks."

"Send for him at once."

And so Samuel, priest of Israel, anointed Israel's new king, a mere lad with sweat on his brow and sandals freshly adorned with dirt from the field.

God did not choose the one who seemed to fit the norm for a king.  Instead, he picked the young man whose heart was inclined toward Him.  Many times, God's ways defy cultural norms.  He transcends everything I have come to expect using my limited mental capacity.  Therefore, I should not limit God in any way.  Instead, I should expect the unexpected.

Time

It runs everything.  Appointments are set by it, meals are eaten according to it's alignment and it is used to configure the work day.  Without time, man would be lost.

In days of old, people would use the sun to help determine when to rise, eat, work and sleep.  Today, the clock has become our taskmaster.  Deadlines must be met, meetings attended and tasks finished according to schedule.  Our days are regulated by time.

To God, however, time does not exist.  His today is the same as yesterday and tomorrow.  He transcends time so it means nothing to Him.  (2 Peter 3:8-10, Psalm 102: 12, 24-27)  Therefore, even though I may stress out because I think I'm late, God is always right on time.

When I expect my life to follow a certain track, God pays no attention to my beliefs.  Instead, He slowly and steadily unfolds the plan for my life.  If I am to follow Him, then, it is important that I let go of what I consider to be normal, and allow the Lord to lead me through my days.  If my life looks different than everyone else's, that's okay.  

It is also important for me to not get caught up in thinking that everything God has placed on my heart must be accomplished now.  There is a right time for everything, and if I try to force His hand, I will be working outside His will.  Instead, I am wise to wait on Him to set the timetable.  (John 7:6)

God is not bound by time so I must not attempt to limit Him by the constraints of the calendar.

Traditions

"God helps those who help themselves."

"Cleanliness is next to godliness."

"God will not give me more than I can handle."

While personal responsibility, hygiene and competence may be important, the above commonly-held beliefs are not biblical.  Instead, I learn from reading God's Word that He helps those who put their hope in Him (Isaiah 40:31), godliness has more to do with a pure heart (Romans 12:1), and God consistently gives me more than I can bear because it is then that I must rely on His strength. (Psalm 46:1-3, 2 Corinthians 12:9)

I can't try to force God into a mold I have created for Him.  Instead, it is important that I keep an open mind as I read His Word, letting Him show me His identity.  Then, I will not be held back by the silly and strange beliefs man has developed to help explain the mysteries of God.  

When I am tempted to limit God to what I can understand with my mind, I am wise to let some things remain unknown and trust Him in His all-powerful sovereignty.  If it were possible for my puny mind to comprehend everything there is to know about God, He would be a small God indeed.

God is not bound by my comprehension of Him, so it is best I let the traditions of man go and simply let the Lord be the mysterious and magnificent God He is.

Laws of Nature

The farmer sets his daily schedule by the faithful rising of the sun.  Fishermen and beachcombers depend on the reliability of the tide charts.  Gardeners know the best season to prune and the most beneficial times to fertilize.  We all rely on nature to act a certain way and have become accustomed to her laws.

God, however, can act in a way that goes against these widely understood principles.  He can stop the flowing of a river in order to allow His people to enter into the promised land on dry ground. (Joshua 3:14-17)  He can feed the multitudes with a few loaves and fish.  (Mark 6:41-44)  He can also make the sun stand still for as long as He desires.  (Joshua 10:13)

It is important to remember that God is a supernatural God.  He can easily work around the laws which He set in place at the beginning of time.  Nothing restricts the work of His mighty hand.  Therefore, when the circumstances of my life seem impossible, I can expect great things from God instead of drowning in a sea of despair at the hopelessness of it all.  

There is not a thing that is outside of the realm of possibility when it comes to solving my current issues.  Instead of worrying and trying to find a solution, then, I would be wise to leave the problem in God's hands for Him to take care of. (Matthew 6:31-33)

God is not bound by the laws of nature, so I need not lose heart when I can't see the solution.

Since God transcends time, tradition and the laws of nature which he created, I can trust Him with every aspect of my life.  Instead of limiting God , then, and expecting only certain things from Him, I can let Him work as He does best: outside of the box which I have created for Him.  He simply will not fit!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can let God be God.

When do I make the Lord smaller than He is?

How do I limit His work in my life by my own lack of faith?