Affectionate Almighty (A poem)

Affectionate Almighty
Extends trembling arms
Grabs hold of the wayward
Envelopes divine progeny

Enamored Eternal
Melts at lover’s return
Infidelity forgiven
In forever’s embrace

Uncomfortable images of God

Every once in a while I come across imagery of God in scripture that stops me in my tracks. Images that are at great tension with my understanding of God. This morning I read Psalm 78:65:

“Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
like a strong man shouting because of wine.”

Think about that choice of images. Not only do we have God waking up as if he were sleeping (contrast that with Psalm 121:4 where God never sleeps nor slumbers), but next He is presented as a loud, angry drunk. I freely admit, that makes me a little uncomfortable. Then again, I like that about scripture as the Living Word of God. In processing his own grief, C.S. Lewis observed that part of the loss of his beloved wife was that her presence was no there to shatter his misperceptions. Her reality could no longer break down the incomplete image his mind held. When we approach scripture in humility, God’s reality will constantly challenge and break down our misperceptions of His character. If we are willing to sit for a while with the uncomfortable images instead of quickly rationalizing and justifying them, I think we might soon find that God is bigger than we give Him credit for.