Isaiah 55: 8-9
"Look, Raven, a bird!" I exclaim as my cat Raven lurks in my office. She's an indoor cat, so a window with the shades pulled up is Cat TV to her - birds, squirrels, rabbits, geckos, and other creatures entertain her throughout the morning.
But usually Raven just looks up at me when I try to direct her. She barely understands "Bird" and doesn't understand pointing at an object. Cats don't have that capability.
In the accompanying picture, Raven has discovered on her own that a bird was underneath the window and went racing up to look. She just has to discover some things on her own, while missing out on a lot of animal activity that I can see from my perspective.
I wonder if this is how God feels about us. He may try to get our attention on something we need or something we would appreciate, but we look the other way or don't understand His instruction. It could be frustrating. But God already knows this about us. After all, He created us with our wonderful capabilities and our limiting factors.
It's arrogant to think we truly understand all the ways of our mysterious God. We can only understand what God has revealed and what we can comprehend of that revelation. Isaiah 55: 8-9 shows that God has more to offer than we can fathom:
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
So does that leave us hopeless? No! In our 7-day practical faith, we need to be more attuned to our Master. We do this through prayer, scripture reading, and most of all, attentiveness to the constant presence and direction of the Holy Spirit. When we attempt to walk closer with God through the Spirit, we do find some success. We become more aware of what He wants us to know. God won't ask us for something beyond our capabilities. But with the capabilities we do have, God can stoop to our level and communicate His thoughts in ways we can understand. Our eager willingness to listen then becomes the most important factor.
In our 7-day practical faith journey, let us intentionally connect to the Eternal one, listen closely, and then follow the guidance.
Ah, two finches just lighted on a yucca plant, and Raven has scampered to a viewing position. She gets it sometimes. So do I.
When we arrive at heaven, then we will know completely - I hope! Jesus promises the reward of eternal life to believers, the reward of a relationship with Him. This is the topic of my latest "The Top 11 Themes of Jesus" podcast, #10 Believers Will Be Rewarded with Eternal Life. Author and speaker Victoria Chapin joins me to discuss views on eternal life and how eternal life can start here and now on earth. As a starting point to locate the podcast, either visit my Free Content page at CecilTaylorMinistries.com/free-content, or search for "Cecil Taylor Monthly Podcasts" on Apple, Spotify, and Podbean.