Читать книгу Beyond the Horizon - Harry A. Renfree - Страница 17

January 11

One weekend as I was walking through the parking lot of a university campus, I came upon something that immediately caught my attention. The parking lot was only partially occupied, but in that lot was a husky young man having the time of his life by manipulating a tiny radio–controlled car. With his handheld control, he sent the car back and forth, weaving, turning, speeding, and slowing—all over the lot. He was obviously enjoying the fun and the sense of power for when I came back twenty minutes later, he was still there.

It seems to me that one might see such a scene as a parallel of life. We, like the little model car, are spinning all over the world, sometimes with purpose, sometimes without—going, coming, eating, sleeping, working, and enjoying recreation. All the while, up there is a power that watches over us so that we won’t smash up.

There’s a difference of course. We would not like it if God controlled us like the young man handled his model. We feel much better when God lets us run our own show. But most of us, in the back of our minds, want to believe that in the last analysis, God will step in if there’s a crisis.

This attitude could, I think, be described as “taking God for granted.” But I seem to hear the crashing interjection of the prophet Micah: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

God does not want to manipulate us or to be ignored by us. He wants to walk with us. The choice is ours.