Every human being needs to settle the God question. It is the filter by which all of life is evaluated.

For me, God is the God described in the Bible – specifically in the book of Job. A perfect mixture of mystery, mercy, power, sovereignty, love, redemption and justice.

If you are not familiar with the Bible, or more specifically the Book of Job, an intense drama unfolds in this when Satan confronts God regarding the faith of His people. Satan’s “accusation” is that people only fear and worship God because He blesses them. God then chooses to use Job to refute that accusation.

Many readers struggle with the fact that Job was doing everything right and he still suffered greatly while God stood by and let his point be proven. The reality is though that God chose Job for this role specifically: “The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”

I have come to believe that God’s perfect will and purposes are unfolding AND that I have a part to play in that as a result of God’s choosing. The success of His plans do not ever depend on me but rather I am invited to join in the adventure. I know that part of my role will inevitably involve suffering at some point as well. That is actually a promise in scripture. That comes with the territory in a broken world with an adversary.

I try not to take a fatalistic attitude towards life though because I believe God’s perfect will only requires my suffering to the extent it is necessary for His redemptive story to be told. For the most part, life is a mixture of ups and downs and there is plenty for which to be grateful. Part of His story also includes shaping me into the likeness of His son Jesus Christ. That is taking some serious chiseling! As the song says: “Better is one day in your courts than thousands elsewhere”.

Mercy is a Wonderful Thing

The photo below was taken from a very memorable God-moment where I am convinced God spoke gasoline into existence. I neglected to check the fuel gauge coming out of Dothan, AL heading towards Columbus, GA on my Harley – with my daughter on the back. That stretch of highway is barren. The bike started sputtering and stalling. Then, the motor started back up for a while. We limped along for a couple of miles. The photo below is the scene as we crested one last hill and the motor died… we coasted into the gas station. Very humble and very grateful.

Some of my notes as a wrestle with messages and where they come from: