The opening text will come from a book by Abraham Joshua Heschel (God in Search of Man - A Philosophy of Judaism). As you are able to see by the title, the language may be a bit dated and therefore, I will, when able, make the language inclusive.
On Friday we read that “faith is an act of spiritual ecstasy, of rising above our own wisdom.” Today it continues:
In this sense, the urge of faith is a reverse of the artistic act in which we try to capture the intangible in the tangible. In faith, we do not seek to decipher, to articulate in our own terms, but to rise above our own wisdom, to think of the world in the terms of God, to live in accord with what is relevant to God.
To have faith is not to capitulate but to rise to a higher plane of thinking. To have faith is not to defy human reason but rather to share divine wisdom.
It is important to throw into this piece the realization that “religions” often try to capture or hold or grasp or make reasonable the workings of God. Too often we want to “nail down” just the way it is. And yet, it is not “the way it is.” The “way” is always more than we can imagine and therefore, we are continuously being called to let ourselves look at the world and the things of our day with eyes of, let say, the psalmist. Eyes that draw us up in what we see and yet urge us to see more…to see the power of God at work…and not just what we want our God to be. I think this is very important for us whenever we begin the many logistical patterns of warfare. Can we begin to share in the wisdom of God rather than consider our thoughts as supreme to all others?!
Connection: Sometimes it is good to consider the present activity in light of the whole universe and all that is. I wonder what kind of an impact that would have on how we move through the tasks and moments of this day?
Lord God, you continue to move us beyond our senses and yet you always give us back this world of touch and taste and sound and sight so that we may begin to see your glorious ways in the common and ordinary aspects of our lives. Inspire us to look at this day with eyes that see beyond our seeing. Amen.
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