A Destined Course

Bob Sloan, a man from Ohio, was convicted of second degree homicide. Bob has had no prior convictions. He was drinking and driving that morning when he hit a motorcyclist who had 4 priors for reckless driving. No doubt that each was at fault. Bob is serving a 7 year prison sentence and is in poor health nearing the age of 60. I work with his wife, Barb Sloan. I have communicated with him several times through letters and he has written me a poem that I can't get out of my mind. The poem seems to portray a man who lives life to the fullfest with great anticipation and achieves great things without God, but later realizes his lot was to believe and become one with God. In the end, after all is said and done, a destined course God has wove through our wanderings and in our return to Him. This is by Bob Sloan:

LOOKING BACK

Me, myself
And also I
Though we might
Traverse the sky
We climbed and climbed
The perfect blue
Stopping to rest
On a cloud or two
Sun to moon
We made our way
Among the stars
We'd hoped to stay

Yet, we travelled
On and on
This way, that way
Here, then yon

Narrowed gates
And widened paths
Lightness - darkness
Feast and fast
Temptation's guilt
Greed's remorse
We weaved our way
A destined course

There to find
It would be done
Never three
I was - but one
So - as it came
It was to be
The Father , the SON
The Spirit and me.

Inscrutable Ways

The wisdom of God, given to man, is not the gathering and compiling of knowledge. Neither is it the poring over God's providence and contemplating the "whys" of God's mysterious dealing with humanity. A search to nail down God's providential workings is a bottomless search that ends only in a physical, mental, and spiritual hardship. It is "a futile inquiry" as J.I. Packer said. Those who try to tap into the REASONS why God does what He does will be driven to levels of insanity. God tells us in Isaiah 55 that "My ways are not your ways nor my thoughts like your thoughts." It is a dangerous undertaking to hunt for all the reasons behind God's actions in daily lives. We will not be satisfied with our mind's finite solutions and we may end up becoming sign hunters who find God's reasons behind every unusual happening, every face in the cloud, billboard sign, or in every Bible page turned by the wind. We must have peace that all things are working together for good because God is good. And all that He does is for our ultimate best for from His glorious throne proceeds justice, goodness, and righteousness.

Lord, I don't need to know
The mystery how Your Providence flows
When life is unclear, foggy, and grey
Vain I measure Your inscrutable way

One drop of truth from Your infinite ocean
No luck, nor chance, sovereign sway in motion

Deep enough to drown in measureless degrees

You keep me afloat as a Father does please

Sorting Your ways makes me tiredly
Discerning You though not a futile inquiry
Scripture speaks I am to cling to You
Steadfast faith when without a clue

Veiled to all Your inter workings
Hidden from me are many things
Masterfully woven
Beloved and Chosen
My heart unfrozen
Indiscernible path ahead I sing

Report to the Master

“When the fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their Master all that had taken place.” Matthew 18:31

In the parable of the unforgiving servant, Jesus responded to the question: “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?” The story shows a servant, forgiven of a great debt by his master, but in return does not extend that forgiveness to another. Instead, he sends a man to prison who owes him a debt much smaller than what he was pardoned for. This shrewd action caused his “fellow servants” to go and report this to the master.

Injustice is all around us. Do we report to our King? When we “see” what has taken place are we “greatly distressed? Have we been desensitized to the horrors of death, murder, sickness, the poor, the hungry and fail to report as a good soldier to the King? Do we say at the fatality of another U.S. soldier, “Oh, that is too bad” and continue on with the day? Do we read or view the daily news with a heart not ready to jump to prayer because of the crumbling reality of this world? Are there things going on in our place of work, in our communities, with our children, and even within the Church that need an official detailed prayer manifesto to the Master?

When we do decide to go, as the servants did, we should likewise give an account of All that has taken place. The Scripture says “they went and reported to their Master ALL that had taken place.” Let us leave out no detail when we report to our High Official in prayer. When we know All that has taken place, this assumes that we are entrenched in the details, witnesses in some way, and concerned with the acute and finer points of the situation at hand. This reveals our true concern.

Let us make a great effort to stay sensitive to the hurting reality of others and problems we face daily. We ought to be wise and know the times, our culture, and the movements of global powers & world events. We preserve society by prayer and holy activity. Shall we not report to the King and in some mysterious way move Him to action and justice? I think we ought.