Matthew 22: 23-33

Text: Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, for know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. (v. 29)

It was once said of John Calvin that when he was lecturing on the Creation story of Genesis 1, a heckler shouted, “If you’re so smart, what was God doing before He created the heavens and the earth?!” Without missing a beat ol’ Calvin replied, “He was creating hell for overly curious people like you!!” The story may be apocryphal but it makes a point.

Too many people who say that they are Jesus followers are more judgmental than the Almighty they profess to know! When I was younger I thought that I knew all of Life’s answers. But then Real Life happened. My preconceived notions and easy answers crumbled like a graham cracker pie crust. It was then that I understood something else that Calvin was purported to have said; we should speak when the Bible speaks and be silent when the Bible is silent.

I no longer try to understand the ways of God. I don’t know what God is really doing. I tell Him that often. In the words of the prophet Isaiah, God’s ways are not my ways nor are God’s purposes my purposes.

But God is at work in this world. It is best to try to get in the flow of what God is doing, to “ride” God’s wave for it is then that we see glimpses of Grace all around us.

Lord, give a humble heart that listens more than it speaks and has the wisdom to know when to be silent. Amen