The Good and Wild God

Go read it if you never have!

For whatever reason, a passage from the "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C.S Lewis is running through my head this morning. It is a scene inside the beaver's home where they are describing the great king, Aslan to the 3 children:

"Is - is he a man?" asked Lucy"Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion, the Lion, the great Lion.""Ooh," said Susan, "I thought he was a man. Is he - quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.""That you will, dearie, and make no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver; "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly.""Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy."Safe?" said Mr. Beaver; "don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the king I tell you."

I am tired of a safe god. Our God can divide oceans and slay giants! He is a wild and powerful God. Yet we continually look to him to protect us and keep anything in our lives from getting out of order. Maybe we need some disorder.

Coming back to youth ministry this weekend, I am praying that I have many opportunities to experience the goodness of God with students. But I also know that we will experience his goodness in hard places. God show his goodness in our brokenness. This is the message of the cross after all, that God enters into death in order to overcome it.

It is not safe to follow this God. He will call you to dangerous things for His kingdom. He will call you to places where you will lose income or reputation. He will call you to go places and do things that put you very far outside of your "comfort zone."

If you want to follow God, give up your American, first world need for safety, and instead rely upon the goodness of God in the times were you don't feel safe. It's better.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever. 
                                  -Psalm 107:1

"Give me Christ or else I die!"