Lord of the Jerks?

My hand made all these things, and so they all came into being. This is the Lord’s declaration, I will look favorably on this kind of person: one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and who trembles at My word. – Isaiah 66:2

As usual, I don’t have anything deep and insightful about this verse today. I happened to run across the phrase “who trembles at My word” and chased it down to Isaiah. To actually hear God speak is an experience that should fill us with a respectful awe, and that’s the idea I was expecting. But when the Word comes, it often has its own direction.

The other day someone referred to my interpretation of Genesis as “allegory”. I didn’t like that, but I didn’t feel like arguing. When I look at the story of man’s creation I see it as literally true. God created Adam and He brought Eve out of Adam somehow. What I don’t know from the biblical account is what mechanism or process God used to do that. God may have taken an existing humanoid creature and transformed it over time. He may have done it instantaneously. The Bible is not interested in that, and neither am I. What is important is that man was a perfect spiritual creature that fell into a mortal state as a consequence of willful disobedience.

A materialist can show me DNA evidence all day and not disprove what I believe. First because, frankly, the biologists are not as all-knowing as they claim to be when they are writing their proposals. Second, the biological facts, whatever they may be, can never negate the Truth of God’s account.

I take the Word of God seriously – too seriously to worry about the literalness of Adam’s creation and fall, Noah’s flood, or Jonah’s whale ride. The way I look at it is that you make one assumption: God exists. Once you assume that, everything else makes sense. For example, people fret over whether the Bible is really the Word of God. I don’t want to criticize anyone for researching the origins of the various books and finding all that is possible – archeological verifications and all that. It’s obviously a better way to spend your time than playing golf. But, like golf, it’s not something I am drawn to. Assume an all-powerful, wise and loving God and you have the answer – yes, He is able to inspire, protect and preserve this revelation of Himself to mankind.

God says He is favorably disposed toward the humble, the submissive and those who tremble at His word. When I think about it, how could He show favor to the arrogant, the domineering and the cynical? Other people, unless they are hopelessly sold out to “cool” and “edgy”, are put off by a superior attitude and pushiness. Is it surprising that jerks are not going to get far with the Lord?

The Word of God has a transforming power, but it will only transform me if I allow it. If I am determined to hang onto my willful ways and keep the truth out of my heart, I will be forever distanced from God. Jesus says those who humble themselves will be exalted. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled. We are told that every knee will bow. It is not a matter of if, just a matter of when.

You don’t have to kneel when you pray. It’s a good idea to pray when you’re driving, but a bad idea to close your eyes and bow your head. Still, we know that body language is a major component of communication between humans. It seems reasonable to give it some thought when communicating with the Master. No physical posture is critical to getting God to hear us, but it may be beneficial once in a while to getting me in the right frame of mind to address Him and receive an answer. Today, at some point, I think I will kneel down before the Lord and just say, “Here I am.”