Once there was a great flood. It was so great that it broke the dam of a small community and threatened all who lived there. The waters continued to rise.
Inside the town lived a God-fearing man stubbernly would not abandon his house. The water grew higher and higher, and the God-fearing man climbed on top of his roof. The water level continued to rise and the God-fearing man prayed "Lord would you rescue me so I don't drown?"
Soon a neighbor rowed by in a boat and said to the God-fearing man "Hurry jump in!" But the God-fearing man sat down and said "no, I am waiting for my God to save me." Shortly thereafter another boat rowed by, manned by the coast guard. The coast guard said "Hurry, jump in!" But the God-fearing man simply said "no, I am wating for my God to save me." As soon as the boat rowed out of sight a helicopter flew overhead, and the pilot shouted "Jump in! For the water is still rising!" But the God-fearing man simply responded "no. I am waiting for my God to save me."
The water continued to rise and the man drowned. The man appeared in Heaven standing before God. A bit perplexed, the man asked God "Why didn't you save me?" God replied, "I did! It tried three times! I sent two boats and even a helicopter, but they couldn't get your attention!"
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Does this story sound familiar? For a long time this story somehow made it to the theology shelf in my brain, and I believed it to be an accurate picture of waiting on God.
Today I was reading through several of the Psalms. The waiting on the Lord that David talks about is totally different from this story. God's plans aren't thwarted. God is not so small that a simple human rejection would nullify his great and mighty plan. Out of his mercy God rescues those who trust in Him. This story is bogus.
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2 comments:
I like your thoughts about waiting on God. We certainly cannot thwart His plan - thank goodness!
I do, however, have a different take on that parable. I have often heard it (and used it myself) in the context of demonstrating that God doesn't always show up how we think He will. Sometimes we get so stuck on what we think it should look like for Him to be at work that we end up missing the obvious ways He is at work! This guy was looking to what HE thought God would do to save him, rather than looking to GOD and finding Him in the boat, the coast guard, and the helicopter. I think there were a lot of Jews who were waiting for the Messiah during Jesus' time, but they missed Him because they were so sure He was going to show up as a mighty king.
So, while the parable is bogus in its implication that we can mess up God's plan, I think there is value in its reminder to look to God for how He'll show up, rather than our own ideas.
hmm. Good word.
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