What Does the White Stone Say?

I enjoy books and films that make me think, that take me beyond words on a page or a plot unfolding on the screen to learn something.  It doesn't need to be a clearly defined moral like in a family sitcom or a G.I. Joe Public Service Announcement, but they prompt thoughts which open a window of the mind to draw in fresh air.  These books and films do not claim to be ultimate truth, but can at times stir up the truth we have learned and been assured of through scripture and put it to more effective personal use.

In the book The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis mentioned something I was already familiar with but stirred me to think it over.  The point he was making was not the main point taken.  This is a way the Holy Spirit often works in preaching, and I have observed many times He brings to hearer's hearts everlasting truth the preacher never anticipated.  C.S. Lewis wrote:

"The thing you long for summons you away from the self.  Even the desire for the thing lives only if you abandon it.  This is the ultimate law--the seed dies to live, the bread must be cast upon the waters, he that loses his soul will save it.  But the life of the seed, the finding of the bread, the recovery of the soul, are as real as the preliminary sacrifice.  Hence it is truly said of heaven "in heaven there is no ownership.  If any there took upon him to call anything his own, he would straightway be thrust out into hell and become an evil spirit."  But it is also said "To him that overcometh I will give a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it."  What can be more a man's own that this new name which even in eternity remains a secret between God and him?  And what shall we take this secrecy to mean?  Surely, that each of the redeemed shall forever know and praise some one aspect of the divine beauty better than any other creature can.  Why else were individuals created, but that God, loving all infinitely, should love each differently?  And this difference, so far from impairing, floods with meaning the love of all blessed creatures from one another, the communion of the saints.  If all experienced God in the same way and returned Him an identical worship, the song of the Church triumphant would have no symphony, it would be like an orchestra in which all the instruments played the same note...For doubtless the continually successful, yet never completed, attempt by each soul to communicate its unique vision to all others (and that by means whereof earthly art and philosophy are but clumsy imitations) is also among the ends for which the individual was created." (Lewis, C. S. The Problem of Pain. Whitefriars Press Ltd., London and Tonbridge, 1942.)

Lewis' allusion to the passage grabbed my attention, the part when Jesus addressed the church in Pergamos in Revelation 2:17:  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it."  This is numbered among the many promises Jesus makes to overcomers through faith in Him.  It is not a surprise Jesus Christ who makes all things new will provide a new revelation of Himself to His followers to cherish for eternity.  There is something intriguing and alluring about the secrecy, that God has something special just for me and just for you, a unique name for us to call Him--or even a name He calls us.  John was not precisely clear about whose name is written on the stone, but I am looking forward to discovering the secret personally in God's time!  The One who created, called, and chose us has a glorious future other believers will share but for each it will be a personally tailored experience.  It will be the culmination of God's awesome design, that the Saviour slain from the foundations of the earth would joyfully receive His inheritance and we, His redeemed creatures fashioned in His image, will become all He envisioned us to be together.  The saints may be lumped together as one for our convenient reference, but each have an intimate relationship with God that transcends all others.

We could spend our days wondering what the secret name could be or what we think it ought to be, but that misses the point entirely.  Through Christ we can overcome, and He has much He delights to reveal and give to us.  God has already given us a life, a body and personality we never dreamed of or could imagine in the womb of our mothers, and our eternal state will be just as other-worldly and infinitely better than life in or outside a uterus on earth.  The good God who created us and is preparing a place for us to be with Him forever knows perfectly what we need and even the desires of our hearts.  Free from the sins of greed, envy, and covetousness we will be wholly content without the impulse to compare our whites stone with others.  We will eat of the hidden manna He provides and be given at least one secret name revealed by God no one else will know.  This shows me we will not be all-knowing as God is but confirms eternity will be a time of glorious discovery of God as we fellowship with Him, self abandoned to His praise and adoration because He is worthy.

Told or Taught?

Have you ever been in a situation when you wanted God to tell you what to do?  It recently occurred to me telling is not the same as teaching.  A good teacher does not simply tell their pupil what to do at every moment but leads them to learn the correct way for themselves.  The person who wants to be told what to do may not even be teachable.  To be teachable we must humble ourselves and go beyond following a directive to having our minds and hearts changed to align with the master.

Growing up I found 10-pin bowling fun and enjoyable, but at a point it became frustrating when my efforts did not translate to improved scores.  When I took a 10-pin bowling course in university I decided to throw out everything I thought I knew and learned an entirely new system and approach.  My education did not immediately result in better scores but it was not long before my competency and consistency improved.  One does not need to take a course or have a coach to roll a high score, but for me it made an enormous difference and unlocked potential to do so on a consistent basis.

God is infinitely more for the believer than a "life coach" or a means to achieve our goals:  He is our Life!  His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.  Sometimes we are desperate to know what route we ought to take and beg, "Just tell me the way to go!"  As open as it sounds to a clear directive from God this may come from a proud posture, an unwillingness to humble ourselves to be taught.  We aren't interested in personal change or taking time to learn anything:  we want out of our quandary immediately and are seeking an easy and relatively painless fix.  We think it would be loving for God to show us the way out, but it is because God is loving and patient He may allow the situation to continue for our ultimate benefit.  We imagine like children in primary school if we learn the lesson quickly recess can begin, but God has given us all the time in the world and is in no hurry.

Hear what David prayed in Psalm 27:11:  "Teach me Your way, O LORD, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies."  David did not say, "Tell me what to do" but said "Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me..."  There is a huge difference between asking God what you should do and asking Him to teach and lead you in His way.  I am convinced God rejoices when people come to Him, not to escape a trial or speedily solve our dilemma, but because we love Him, want to know Him, and be led in His ways.  God is faithful to hear the cries of the humble and will instruct us in His ways seeing Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Unlike the bowling example where gained proficiency led to less instruction and correction by my coach, the more we learn God's ways the more we learn to seek Him and rely upon Him.  As we follow God's leading, we have the benefit of continually drawing near to Him.  Those who are content to be told what to do miss out on the intimate relationship God desires with all His children.  Those who have been taught God's ways gain knowledge which extends beyond temporary circumstances to develop admiration and awe of our great God and Saviour.  Are you teachable or just wanting to be told?  I am grateful to have such a loving Father in heaven who loves us, is patient to teach us and faithful to lead in His ways.

The Courageous Wait

As a person born in the United States having immigrated to Australia, I have been intrigued by the contrasting perspectives generally reflected in people and media.  The press in the U.S. have been throwing around terms like "tyranny" and "totalitarianism" while the Australian media muses why only 4 million people have voluntarily downloaded an app designed to track movements.  While people in California protest their right to assemble under the Constitution, a vast majority of Sydney-siders are making do best they can to respect restrictions, considering protection of the most vulnerable more important than personal freedoms.  In our polarised world one extreme sees a trojan horse of government oppression, while the other sees it as a necessity for public health.

This is where the supremacy and sovereignty of God is a great comfort to me:  no matter where a person lives or what their perspective is on social matters, what constitutes government overreach, or when schools should open, God rules over all.  He is wise, compassionate, gracious, and faithful.  His power and authority extends far beyond our spinning globe, for this is how the sons of Korah could honestly write in Psalm 46:1-3:  "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. ² Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; ³ though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah"  When it feels like the earth has been snatched from under your feet, God is a refuge, strength, and very present help when help seems far away.

When the disciples were caught in a storm on the Sea of Galilee and Jesus was asleep, they woke Jesus in a panic.  Many of these followers of Jesus were seasoned veterans on the water, and the peril they faced was very real.  They were shocked when Jesus rose and rebuked the wind and water and it ceased raging.  It seems they expected Jesus to approach the problem at hand like they were, to grab and oar, start bailing out water from their vessel--to express concern over a situation He was literally sleeping through.  This shows me how the power of God transcends this physical world where God remains in total charge, regardless of governments, corporations, panic, and mis-information.  As the story of Job's life reveals, nothing happens outside God's knowledge and control, and we are wise to submit ourselves in faith to Him.

The disciples wanted Jesus to respond to their situation like they were feeling; they wanted Him to realise the urgency of their need and predicament.  Since sin entered the world and until all that is made dissolves in final judgment, this has been and will continue to be a desire familiar to all people who love God and trust Him.  COVID-19 might be a storm of sorts which God will employ to expose our lack of faith and need to seek the LORD.  Are you willing for Jesus to redeem this trying situation in a miraculous manner which glorifies Him?  David wrote in Psalm 27:13-14, "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. ¹⁴ Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!"  Don't just wait for social distancing to be over, for the storm to pass, a payment to come through, or for circumstances to change for the better:  wait on the LORD, be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart.  We will see the goodness of of the LORD in the land of the living when we look to Jesus.

Love and Happiness

When I read the works of C.S. Lewis, I am always blessed and encouraged by his God-honouring intelligence which far exceeds my own.  His literary skill and creative approach to answering meaningful questions puts me in the place of a little child having to run to keep up with his father's long stride and still lagging behind.  I recently started re-reading The Problem of Pain, a book Lewis wrote in 1940.  It is the sort of book which strikes the reader differently in each reading because of the depth of content and how much the reader or his circumstances have changed.  Instead of following a familiar pattern of discussion, C.S. Lewis blazed a trail academics, theologians, and us ordinary folk do well to follow.

Having laid the foundation for the existence of God, C.S. Lewis began to explore how people have a belief that if God is all powerful and loving, He should ensure our constant happiness.  A false contradiction and even the denial of God's existence can follow because of the pain a supposed loving God allows.  Consider this remarkable paragraph on page 36:

"The problem of reconciling human suffering with the existence of a God who loves, is only insoluble so long as we attach a trivial meaning to the word "love", and look on things as if man were the centre of them.  Man is not the centre.  God does not exist for the sake of man.  Man does not exist for his own sake.  "Thou has created all things, and for they pleasure they are and were created."  We were made not primarily that we may love God (though we were made for that too) but that God may love us, that we may become objects in which the Divine love may rest "well pleased".  To ask that God's love should be content with us as we are is to ask that God should cease to be God:  because He is what He is, His love must, in the nature of things, be impeded and repelled, by certain stains in our present character, and because He already loves us He must labour to make us loveable.  We cannot even wish, in our better moments, that He could reconcile Himself to our present impurities--no more that the beggar maid could with that King Copherua should be content with her rags and dirt, or a dog, once having learned to love man, could with that man were such as to tolerate in his house the snapping, verminous, polluting creature of the wild pack.  What we would here and now call our "happiness" is not the end God chiefly has in view:  but when we are such as He can love without impediment, we shall in fact be happy." (Lewis, C. S. The Problem of Pain. Whitefriars Press Ltd., London and Tonbridge, 1942.)

Every love we experience on earth:  the love of people for pets, the love of family, and love between a married couple are only shadows of the love God has for every person.  In our natural state we are cut off from the love of God by our sin, but having provided atonement through the Gospel we are restored to a relationship with God He has designed and desires.  Love is never content with distance, and God delights for us to invite Him in.  Jesus stands at the door and knocks, calling out for people who have grown comfortable without Him like the Shulamite in Solomon's Song.  Fullness of joy is promised those who open the door of their hearts to Him.  What could make a man happier than to love the God who created and loves him?