Our humble attempt to know the ways of God may not be taken as an audacious curiosity into where the angels tread to enter since the Word of God gives us some hints that are required for our self-transformation. " 'My thoughts', says the Lord, 'are not like yours, and my ways are different from yours. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways and thoughts above yours'" (Isiah,.55:8-9). In accordance with this, the psalmist acknowledges that " Your knowledge of me is too deep; it is beyond my understanding" Psalm, 139: 6). We cannot know God's ways, unless God's Spirit reveals them to us ( 1Corinthians, 2: 11-13). Starting to walk in God's ways known to us opens our eyes more and more so that we may know His ways more fully as the days pass.
God's ways reveal who God really is. We know God's ways by understanding His Word, which is not something separate from Him. The best way to know God's ways is to study God's Word in contexts that bring out their meaning. Out of context, if we examine each word or sentence we may easily be misled. Since God has spoken to us in human words, all the rules required for understanding human language apply also to God's Word. However, here we have to guard against preconceived ideas that may influence our understanding the Word of God. If the intention of the human author of the Word of God can be correctly gauged, the meaning God intends to communicate would be none other than what the human author tries to express. This, however, does not negate the possibility of a fuller meaning of the texts intended for future generations.
Meditating on God's Word is a powerful means to know His ways. This kind of meditative prayer helps us to know God more personally as well as ourselves. This happens because if prayer is talking to God, meditation is listening to Him. God's ways and their meaningfulness will shine forth in our inmost hearts and minds transforming us according to His own heart and mind. Then we are able to say consciously: " Thy Will be done". This is the difference between knowing God's ways and knowing just what God does. While the former transforms our life, the latter may be a first step towards it. When we know God's ways we become attuned to them, rather than knowing in detail the reasons for them. We are happy and have no complaints about God's ways. On the contrary, our self-surrender to God is complete and self-fulfilling. The psalmist expressed it thus: " My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord, my God" (Psalm 63). The personal experience of St. Augustine reminds us: " Whatever way the soul of man turns, it is fixed upon sorrows any place except in you" (Confessions, chapter, 9).
Heart-felt prayer to God is the best way to be attuned to His ways. "Teach me your ways, O Lord; make them known to me. Teach me to live according to your truth, for you are my God, who saves me. I always trust in you" ( Psalm, 25: 4-5). St. Paul wondered about the ways of God and the depth of His wisdom and knowledge (Romans,11: 33-34). Jesus rebuked St. Peter when he tried to obstruct God's plan of salvation by his own world-view. Peter was unable to think in God's ways and he tried to substitute them with his own human way of thinking (Matthew, 16:23). The response of Jesus was swift and vehement, having recognized the tactics of the enemy who had left Jesus only for the time being after the temptations in the desert. Peter, however, learnt his lessons in due course as may be seen from 2 Peter, 3:8-9 where he says: "And here is one point, my fiends, which you must not lose sight of: with the Lord one day is like thousand years and a thousand years like one day. It is not that the Lord is slow in fulfilling his promise, as some suppose, but that he is very patient with you, because it is not his will for any to be lost, but for all to come to repentance".
Repentance is not only being sorry for our sins and to be resolved to renew our life, but involves a total internal revolution that transforms our life. This transformation alone will let us have an idea of the ways of God and the way He operates in the world. As is clear from the passage from Peter's Letter quoted above, our standard of measurement and views on life should be conformed to that of God Himself. In the light of this kind of accommodation of our thinking to that of God Himself, the ways of God will become clear to us. What is required for this purpose is a radical turn around of our life that was proclaimed by Jesus as the essential pre-requisite for entering into the Kingdom of God. This is truly a re-birth in this very life, an onrush of life from the other world into this world effected by the Spirit of God Himself. Truly a Copernican revolution in our internal and spiritual life opening up new vistas of life in the very ways of God.
God's ways reveal who God really is. We know God's ways by understanding His Word, which is not something separate from Him. The best way to know God's ways is to study God's Word in contexts that bring out their meaning. Out of context, if we examine each word or sentence we may easily be misled. Since God has spoken to us in human words, all the rules required for understanding human language apply also to God's Word. However, here we have to guard against preconceived ideas that may influence our understanding the Word of God. If the intention of the human author of the Word of God can be correctly gauged, the meaning God intends to communicate would be none other than what the human author tries to express. This, however, does not negate the possibility of a fuller meaning of the texts intended for future generations.
Meditating on God's Word is a powerful means to know His ways. This kind of meditative prayer helps us to know God more personally as well as ourselves. This happens because if prayer is talking to God, meditation is listening to Him. God's ways and their meaningfulness will shine forth in our inmost hearts and minds transforming us according to His own heart and mind. Then we are able to say consciously: " Thy Will be done". This is the difference between knowing God's ways and knowing just what God does. While the former transforms our life, the latter may be a first step towards it. When we know God's ways we become attuned to them, rather than knowing in detail the reasons for them. We are happy and have no complaints about God's ways. On the contrary, our self-surrender to God is complete and self-fulfilling. The psalmist expressed it thus: " My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord, my God" (Psalm 63). The personal experience of St. Augustine reminds us: " Whatever way the soul of man turns, it is fixed upon sorrows any place except in you" (Confessions, chapter, 9).
Heart-felt prayer to God is the best way to be attuned to His ways. "Teach me your ways, O Lord; make them known to me. Teach me to live according to your truth, for you are my God, who saves me. I always trust in you" ( Psalm, 25: 4-5). St. Paul wondered about the ways of God and the depth of His wisdom and knowledge (Romans,11: 33-34). Jesus rebuked St. Peter when he tried to obstruct God's plan of salvation by his own world-view. Peter was unable to think in God's ways and he tried to substitute them with his own human way of thinking (Matthew, 16:23). The response of Jesus was swift and vehement, having recognized the tactics of the enemy who had left Jesus only for the time being after the temptations in the desert. Peter, however, learnt his lessons in due course as may be seen from 2 Peter, 3:8-9 where he says: "And here is one point, my fiends, which you must not lose sight of: with the Lord one day is like thousand years and a thousand years like one day. It is not that the Lord is slow in fulfilling his promise, as some suppose, but that he is very patient with you, because it is not his will for any to be lost, but for all to come to repentance".
Repentance is not only being sorry for our sins and to be resolved to renew our life, but involves a total internal revolution that transforms our life. This transformation alone will let us have an idea of the ways of God and the way He operates in the world. As is clear from the passage from Peter's Letter quoted above, our standard of measurement and views on life should be conformed to that of God Himself. In the light of this kind of accommodation of our thinking to that of God Himself, the ways of God will become clear to us. What is required for this purpose is a radical turn around of our life that was proclaimed by Jesus as the essential pre-requisite for entering into the Kingdom of God. This is truly a re-birth in this very life, an onrush of life from the other world into this world effected by the Spirit of God Himself. Truly a Copernican revolution in our internal and spiritual life opening up new vistas of life in the very ways of God.
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