We tend to make God small.
Okay, we can’t actually make Him small, but our small group discussed how we shrink our perception of who He is and what He can accomplish. As I wonder about my habit of minimizing God I’m reminded of this unrelenting question:
Do we really believe what we believe?
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I watched a report from Lyberia, where medical professionals (led by mostly American volunteers) struggle to help people afflicted with the horrors of ebola. These folks work in close contact with suffering, dying patients for months at a time—ironically, on the site of a former leper colony.
The American reporter asked a disturbing question. “Why do you work so hard to treat these people when it’s so incredibly dangerous and usually futile? Wouldn’t it be more efficient to simply contain the disease and make sure it doesn’t spread?”
The doctor, an expert in infectious diseases, offered the politically acceptable response. He explained that in a mobile world, absolute containment is impossible. Practical solution involves better understanding of the disease, treatment protocols, and potential vaccines. Working in Lyberia, he explained, is actually in our best interest.
So, if I understand correctly, we offer help to poor, suffering people because it’s “in our best interest”? Social justice is reduced to a political calculation of Return On Investment.
That’s making God small, living in fear, depending on ourselves. We might run short of resources. We might get sick. His way is just too risky, too impractical. Perhaps we need to step in and take charge because He’s not really in control in this situation.
Do we really believe what we believe?
The remainder of the report focused on selfless, dedicated volunteers (including the doctor mentioned above) who endure difficult, dangerous conditions because they obviously care about the people they serve. They don’t assume this risk out of self-interest—they choose to be part of something bigger than themselves.
These folks aren’t stupid. They understand the danger, but they decide each day to face their fear rather than allowing it to control them. Even though the majority of their patients die, there’s no talk of futility because they’re able to mitigate suffering and comfort families. They spoke with weariness, but there was a strong sense of community, clarity, and confidence in what they were doing.
They choose to trust, to step out in faith. They choose courage.
Take courage. I AM. Don’t be afraid.
In Ephesians 3:20 Paul writes of the God “…who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”
Power. Beyond what we can imagine. At work. Within us.
If we believe what we believe, why do we make Him small?
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