The miracle of God’s presence in the tabernacle or in the temple is incomprehensible in man. Solomon expressed that when he realized in this verse, “But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, ?heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built!” isn’t it also incomprehensible how God, the one true God, can dwell in the person of His Son? These mysteries transcend our understanding.
The moral of the “Wizard of Oz” is that everything you need you already have. The rock group “America” rightly interpreted it when they sang, “Oz never did give nothin’ to the Tin man, that he didn’t already have.” Thus, it’s all within you! That works in life for a while, as long as you work. Your positive attitude and faith is strong, as long as you’re strong. You’re courage and confidence is secure only so long as you are confident and secure. You’re life is good, as long as you are good. That’s where the problem comes in. “There is none good, no not one! All of us have sinned and fallen short” the Apostle Paul tells us. We need a transcendent power!
Lucado hit the nail on the head when he explained the problem of having a God we could control. “No need for the supernatural. No place for the extraordinary. No room for the transcendent. Prayer becomes a token. (The real strength is within you, not “up there.”) Communion becomes a ritual. (The true hero is you, not him.) And the Holy Spirit? Well, the Holy Spirit becomes anything from a sweet disposition to a positive mental attitude.”
When we recognize the true nature of a transcendent God who cannot be contained on earth or in heaven or in the highest heaven, we get a power outside of ourselves. We get hope that takes us beyond the temporal. We get peace that “transcends all understanding” as Paul wrote in Philippians 4:7. How can a Christian lose his job and not worry? How can a believer look cancer in the face and not flinch? How can a Christian keep going after the loss of a loved one, or a child, or some other tragedy? It is because of the peace Jesus gives when you place your faith in Him. A peace that “transcends all understanding”
Chuck
“You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.” 1 Peter 1:22