June 30, 2024

The Shepherd's Corner

There are times when we think how much better and manageable life would be if we had known what was to come.  If we had known that something awful was to happen, we would have at least been more prepared.  But I am not sure that I agree with this logic all the time.  Yes, there are times when I wished that I had known certain things before they happened but looking back, I must also say that if I had already known everything that was to happen, I would have been paralyzed by fear much more so than more prepared.

In his book, Hearing God, Dallas Willard writes, “In faith also we come very slowly to appreciate what is happening to us.”  He argues that there is a good reason for God not to reveal everything to us and that we must struggle to understand it.  He explains that it is in the process of struggling that “we grow to the point where we can appropriate and assimilate the content of truth as it becomes clear.”  The chances are, if we had known or understood everything, “we would not have had the courage to proceed.”  By making us go through the struggle, God is preparing us for what is to come.

Two of my colleagues in the Bible school where I teach are now not only retired from teaching, but they are also retired from thinking.  One is already fully demented while the other is half-way there. The other day I spoke with him and his wife over the phone.  He can still answer me whenever I ask him but that is how far our conversation goes.  He can no longer tell a story or explain anything; his answers are limited to one or two words, “Yes, no, thank God.” I told him that he’s one of my favorite preachers and that I learned to unearth the spiritual treasures of the Bible from him. Now he is fading away.

We do not know what will become of us and we need not know it.  When the time comes, we’ll be ready because God has prepared us.

Pastor Paul

More Shepherd's Corner Articles

The Shepherd's Corner - August 21, 2022
In his devotional, Victorious Living, E. Stanley Jones quotes the words of someone who said that in the field of music, “pauses are music in the making.” We know that songs have pauses; we can’t sing from beginning to end without pauses. But pauses are not only for us to take a breath; it is [...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - April 1, 2018
THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER We don’t have an enemy . . . until we meet one!...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - January 19, 2025
THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER I don’t know if you have been following the news about the fire or not, but I have.  Firstly, I’d like to thank God for holding the wind down last Tuesday and Wednesday.  Instead of 40 to 50 miles/hour the wind blew at a much slower speed.  Consequently, th...
Read More