By Ed Young at https://www.edyoung.com/devotionals/god-doesnt-fit-in-a-frame
excerpt:
We frame him with logic. We want input and output to match. If I obey, God should bless. If I pray, God should answer. If life doesn’t go according to plan, we don’t question the plan—we question God. But he’s not a vending machine. He’s a Father. And sometimes, good fathers say no.
But just like a window frame can limit your view of the horizon, our mental frames limit our view of God. They create edges around something that is meant to be endless. Eventually, the frame cracks. Life throws us something our image of God can’t explain. A prayer goes unanswered. A tragedy comes without warning. A plan falls apart. And suddenly, our framed version of God doesn’t hold up.
Maybe that’s not the failure of God. Maybe it’s the failure of the frame.
Trying to live with a framed God is like trying to photograph the Milky Way with a flip phone. It’s like describing Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony using only one piano key. You might catch a glimpse, but you’re missing the grandeur.
He reveals himself through Scripture, through the Spirit, through community, through creation. But there is always more to see. Always more to trust.
There’s a reason Scripture compares life with God to a journey. Not a spreadsheet. Not a checklist. A walk. A path. A relationship. You don’t get all the answers up front. But you get his presence. You get enough light for the next step. And over time, your picture of him grows fuller and richer.
God does not ask you to fully understand him. But he does invite you to trust him. Not once, but over and over. When life is loud. When prayers feel unanswered. When the next step is unclear. Trust is what you do when your frame is too small and his presence is still enough.
A framed God can only take you so far. But the God who breaks the frame? He can take you farther than you ever imagined.
Pray
God, you are bigger than my thoughts, deeper than my understanding, and more powerful than I can comprehend. Forgive me for trying to shrink you into something manageable. I release my expectations. I want to know you—not as I’ve imagined you, but as you are. Teach me to trust what I cannot trace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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