August 2, 2005
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For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 1 Cor. 13:12
…Further thoughts on “The blind men of Hindustan”(as shared with Secure In Truth)
…. It’s interesting to me that as many times as I’ve used this poem over the years to illustrate the limitations of our human understanding of God, I have tended to focus more on the though that each of the men had some, if incomplete, understanding of the truth. My point was not to conclude, as the poet does, that “each of them was wrong”, but that each of them had more to learn.Granted, in the sense that each of them gave an incomplete, limited definition of what the elephant was, they were indeed, “wrong”….that just wasn’t my primary focus…it was instead on how the truth each of them had could have added to a fuller picture for all of them. I feel the same way about our Christian faith….we are finite, “blind” human beings, capable of only “see(ing) in a glass darkly”, and looking forward to the day when “we shall know as we are known”.
There is much to learn about God, and along with prayer(talking with God), study of scripture(reading about God), and meditation (thinking on God), so much is to be added in listening to others (especially honest seekers of like passion).
I love this adage from the Talmud; “A fool learns from no one; The wise man learns from every man.”
Pursue God, Friends…Jim
Comments (4)
“There is much to learn about God, and along with prayer(talking with God), study of scripture(reading about God), and meditation (thinking on God), so much is to be added in listening to others (especially those of like passion).”
This is a good list, but I would like to add one thing to it, being silent before God. My morning meditation talked about this very thing. It was written by Elisabeth Elliot, called “The Need for Silence” from A Lamp for My Feet
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“It is always easier to add to the noise of the world than to be silent. Silence is a very precious thing–”There was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour” (Rv 8:1 AV), when the seventh seal was opened in the Book of the Revelation. Thunder and horses and martyrs and earthquakes had preceded the opening of this seal. Hail, fire, blood, and fearful judgment followed it–but in between, angels stood in the presence of God and there was utter silence.”
“Have we learned to stand in God’s presence, mouths shut, hearts open? “Lord, what do you want me to do?” We must be quiet in order to know Him and to hear Him and to hear Him answer us.”
“If any of you lack wisdom let him ask his friends.” No. That is not the Word of the Lord. “If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God” (James 1:5) is his Word to us. There is a place for asking wisdom of godly friends, but let us always go first to God.
“Be still”–that is, shut up–”and know that He is God” (Psalms 46:10)
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I think we underestimate the power of silence. I know I need to practice this more often.
Absolutely!! Great post…thanks. Silence, being still before God, is something I have been learning as an essential part of my prayer and meditation life…”waiting on the Lord.” That portion of Psalm 46:10 says it best: “Be still and know that I am God”…I’ve always found that reassuring as well….”shutting up” for now..God Bless…
jimmish: You and I had the same view of the poem, The Blind Men of Hindustan. I believe that’s how it came up in the conversation I had with fishtree and some others. Fellowship is the chance to learn more about who our God is, by listening to each other as each of us expresses what we have come to see of our infinite God, we see Him more clearly, we learn more about who He is. The Word is vital to this process since we do see through a glass darkly, we may not see correctly and need the reference point of His written word to compare to and correct our concept of Him. In fact, I was reading this morning I Tim. 3:16, the Word of God is just that, breathed by God through men. In that verse Paul the apostle uses words to describe the different ways the Scriptures bring clarity to our minds, teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteouness.
How good to have another one (you jimmish) who is seeking the Lord and sharing his view of our great God and King~ welcome to our Xanga fellowship! I will subscribe to your Xanga and enjoy what you share. My son, the Marine, will be home on Saturday. He will be here 2 weeks. Then he will go to Iraq. You mentioned you have a son who may be going to Iraq. What branch of the military is he in? In times like these, it’s good to have a Savior.
Hey Jim. I enjoyed all of your thoughts here and I especially like the quotation from the Talmud: A fool learns from no one; The wise man learns from every man. It goes back to that idea of being teachable you mentioned in your previous post: allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through all things–not just our fellow creatures (though especially through them)–but through the whole of life, both the light and the dark.