Not Tame

Now this causes us some confusion, because if we look at the circumstances of life seeking to discern God’s concern, it may be hard to trace out. Just ask the distraught mother who is watching her little baby struggle to breathe in the ICU if God cares and, in that moment, she may doubt.

There’s a reason for the confusion. We, in our short-sightedness, often confuse “goodness,” with “comfort.” That’s a tragic mistake. God has not promised us comfort in this life. In fact Jesus said that we would have “tribulation” in this world.

If you have watched the Chronicles of Narnia, that have been turned into movies lately, you get a good picture of what I am talking about. Aslan is the Lion of the Story and he is a picture of Christ. Aslan is the one who dies and comes back to life in the first book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, in order to rescue one of the characters. At the end of the story, Lucy, the heroine of the story is watching as Aslan walks away. She asks another character in the story. “Is He (Aslan) quite tame?” The character replies quickly, “O no! He is not tame! But He is good!”

That says it so well. You and I want a “tame” God. We want Him to be our “trick” lion. We want to get out the whip of our whim and the chair of our comfort and make Him do what we say. But, listen, He is not tame! He doesn’t obey our desire.