Job 9:11
Lo, He passes by me, I do not see.
He moves on, I do not perceive.
(Written 6/30, Posted 7/2 Job 182)
Taken as a standalone, this verse tells us that we cannot see God in a physical sense. People use this in all manner of ways to push forward an agenda. This past week the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade. In my attempt to find out what else was going on in the world, I found myself on CNN’s website looking at a title that purported to show how two Christians could have different views on abortion and still both be Christian. I was intrigued, so I read. The two seemed very genuine in their beliefs, but neither were as logical as one might hope someone trying to represent a large portion of Christianity might be. Of course, I chalked this up to CNN just being a spokesperson for the devil and picking people to make Christians look bad either way.
Lo was used by two sources, and I like when it is used. Passes was also comes or goes, but those seemed to inflexible. I wanted to use “passes me by”, but I know that is not the intent. There were several variations on I do not see, but none really changed the meaning.
Moves was also goes, passes, and slips, but I felt the idea was that we could not perceive his movement. Perceive was also notice, which doesn’t seem far off, and grasps, that does seem far off.
Many people want a god they can see or touch or hold in their hands. Those are not God. God is so vast that our physical limits cannot do justice to the sight or feel of His presence. When we try to limit God, we try to make Him our equal or our ourselves better.
God is so much more. Yes, a person can believe in God, have faith in Christ as Lord and Savior and hold different ideas of what that means for every day worldly issues. How much tax is too much? How much punishment does sin deserve here on earth?
I believe that life begins at conception and that there is a line where a person has a choice and where a person must leave the consequences up to God. I think about the things that could happen to my girls and the earthly me wants choices. The spiritual me wants to reply on God to eliminate the choice for me.
The world around me is full of people who either do not acknowledge God or have a different perception of how He should impact day to day life. I have developed paradigms on how God wants me to view activities and how I would prefer people to act in order to align with what I perceive to be His way. Many people have died when others sought to impose the will of God on someone else.
I do not want babies to be killed while still in the womb. I do not want mothers to die while giving birth. Sometimes it is an either or and I do not want to have to decide between the two even if it was my wife and my kid. The one thing I want is for a doctor to have the opportunity to save a life when taking no action costs two. I am sure this is not the issue being argued about, but I am also sure no one who does not share my opinion wants to hear me talk about it.
God is big. He is so big that I can, and should, leave these big topics to Him and only take care of my little life, which of course, I need His help to manage anyway.