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Pastor Nick : “A God Worth Exploring

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Prayer to God

Prayer to God

A God Worth Exploring

Pastor Nick Quient

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“Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his suffering ones.”

—Isaiah 49:13 (NRSV)

Part of life is slowly realizing that our existence is complex. We are finite creatures, living in a beautiful and intricate cosmos, and we are only beginning to discover the depths of this earthly realm. In some ways, this is part of the journey of faith, of seeking after God.

Growing up, God wasn’t something worth following or pursuing or exploring. Like some, I was handed a distinct formula that rigidly enforced what my specific church believed to be correct. I, of course, have no issue with passionately informed belief—but there is something to be said about leaving room for further exploration. God is always on the move, and it is little wonder that Moses was only able to catch a glimpse from the burning experience.

In Isaiah 49:13 and throughout the entire section of Isaiah 40-55, we see a majestic display of divine power and sovereignty. God is indeed great, God is indeed wise and powerful. But something that gets missed a lot is the character of God. God’s mightiness and strength not displayed in capricious acts of wanton destruction, but instead on the mighty one stooping to “comfort” the people of God. God’s mightiness is displayed in the glorious realm of having “compassion” on the ones who are “suffering.” The character of God challenges us to think more about what kind of God we worship.

Rather than installing an inflexible theological formula that opts for easy explanations to all things, I think we need to step back a bit. The instant we put God in a cage and domesticate the Divine, we’ve ceased exploration. The infinite cannot be contained or caged, but the infinite can be explored—perhaps forever explored. As Saint Paul says in Romans 11:33-36

33 O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge

of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.

May our legacy—our commitment to Christ and the church—be a reflection of God’s goodness and glory. May we continue to explore the depths and heights of this God we worship.

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