Come Now, and Let us Reason Together

My grandfather sat across from me at our kitchen table in the same chair he rests his weary frame week after week. I watched his frail hands comb through his midnight black hair now turned moonlight silver. His hands wear the signs of decades past, hardened by hard labor, famine, and war. He folded them together and rested them gently atop the glass tabletop.

Inside those very hands is a story etched deeper than the creases in his palms. Those hands once immersed in scalding hot dish water as an illegal immigrant working to earn his keep would one day hold citizenship papers as if they were a key to a newly purchased home. But sadly soon after, those hands would rise in surrender behind gunpoint in a carry-out restaurant he fought tirelessly to keep in business when flourishing businesses were a thing of the past. Those hands gripped and held close his grieving children after they suffered the loss of their mother (his wife) when she was tragically ripped from the seam of their tightly knit home. Those tired and broken hands have pat the backs of my sisters and I and later great-grandchildren for every job well done. Those hands speak more than my grandfather's stoic face would ever reveal.

The highlight of my grandfather's visits is chit-chatting over a cup of tea and a plate of Sandie's shortbread cookies. Though it's not often he shares his heart, my grandfather does have quite a bit to share on late-breaking news and current events. I often joke that he is a walking sponge, waiting for the opportune time to wring out all of the information he's absorbed in between his weekly visits. He typically only cares to discuss matters pertaining to the economy and politics. However, I've noticed recently, now that he has more time to ponder upon a man's purpose in life, our conversations have made a dramatic turn, heading straight up my alley--philosophy, spirituality, and the presence of a "Higher Power". Today, however, our light banter began to fuel a debate after I introduced God into the discussion. My grandfather initially seemed up for the challenge but then withdrew. Those hands that rested, loosely clasped together, began to clench up in a fist, and struck down like a gavel in a judge's grip while tears welled up for justice. He shrieked, "Where was God in all of my hardships and pain? Where was He in my suffering? How could God turn His back to all of the injustices in this world? If there is a God, then show me!"

I sat in silence and a flood of cliche responses formulated in my thoughts. But, instead of grasping for the first one that surfaced, I chose to listen. This time it wasn't pride, the roadblock we are often met with when challenging someone's worldview, but rather pain that emerged, buried under years of harbored grief, bitterness, and regret. I wanted so badly at that moment to prescribe him the Remedy to a "broken spirit" but knew it wasn't the time. It is in my nature to quickly retort with scripture in hopes to chip away at the divide between he and I. But, I'm beginning to see that sometimes it isn't what I say, but rather what I don't say that gives God breathing room to do all of the talking. I can rest in the fact that even though I'm silent, my life continues to bear evidence that He exists. And that is enough for now.

Explaining the deity of Jesus Christ is a source of great contention in the heart of a man who has refuted His existence since early adulthood. He counters my beliefs with scientific evidence contributed by Darwin and other evolutionists. According to my grandfather, recent studies have shown that our genentic make-up is 90% equivalent to a chimpanzee. In his opinion, these findings further solidify and support the notion that there is no greater power responsible for life as we know it. He believes that humans and animals alike have evolved from one common thread and exist now as a result of a series of random events.

The more I hear my grandfather speak, the more I realize that his opinions merely echo the general population's tendency to support a fairly "logical" claim that temporarily satiates our inherent need to know. The research conducted today may unearth some fantastic findings but has yet to answer the age old question: "What came first--the chicken or the egg?". When we begin to unravel our lineage, tracing it back to the very first "atom" or "Adam" in an effort to explain how our tiny piece of the puzzle was designed to fit into this great big universe, we utilize a component of our genetic make-up that undoubtedly separates us from all other species, and that is our ability to reason. This quality that characterizes the human mind is a phenomenon that can't be explained by paralleling our DNA with that of other species. This is because our ability to reason is a characteristic of God bestowed uniquely unto man when we were created in His likeness.

It is through reasoning that God calls us to Him for this is how we recognize our need for Him and in turn develop a relationship with Him. God invites us, "Come now, and let us reason together" (Isaiah 1:18). By appealing to our reason, God reveals life as it was intended to be, co-existing with our Creator, living in sync with the reality of His kingdom here on earth. He states further in Isaiah 1:18-19, "'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword'...". God calls us to reason with Him not to settle matters of pride, but rather to settle matters of the heart. One way in which this occurs as stated in the aforementioned scripture is the removal of sin. Our God-granted ability to reason facilitates introspection where the Holy Spirit actively identifies sin that separates us from Him which in turn leads us to repentance (turning away from sin). In the heart is where the root of sin is exposed and it is from the heart that obedience flows. This is the reason why God is always after our hearts. It is His desire to heal us of our brokenness and free us from the bondage of iniquity so that we might not only have life, but have it more abundantly.

Just as the root of sin is exposed and dealt with in the heart, other matters are revealed and explained through the heart. The world will rely on what is seen through the natural eyes to arrive at solutions for life's burning questions, such as an explanation for the origin of the human species. Christ, however, calls us by faith ("the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" [Hebrews 11:1]) to reason together with Him "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:2c-3) to obtain the answers. And we find these answers by closing our eyes and opening our hearts. The man whose heart is blinded by pride doesn't quite understand this. Matters of the heart are deemed foolishness to him. Wisdom, according to the ways of the world, is sought, gained, and earned through study, research, and experience. But scripture tells us, "Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise" (1 Corinthians 3:18).

A regenerated heart grants us the capacity to observe the physical world with renewed vision or a spiritual lens. When we fall back on our natural tendency to problem-solve, however, it always leads to trouble. An example of this is described in Acts 8. Simon, a newly converted believer, confronted the apostles after witnessing the power of the Holy Spirit manifested through them by the laying on of hands. He asked Peter for this power in exchange for money. Peter responded, "'Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you'" (Acts 8:20-22). This account in scripture presents the following reality: the interests of God are independent of the interests of man. Simon desired power for selfish gain. As a result, and as Peter later explained to him, he could not be used by God. His attempts at manipulating the situation by offering something physical in exchange for something spiritual led to his downfall. Simon was trapped in the futility of his natural mind. He couldn't see past the works of man to conclude that they were in fact works of God. The natural mind leads us astray in much the same way when we begin to filter spiritual issues through a physical lens. Salvation, grace, and spiritual gifts can not be earned and neither can they be bought. This thought contradicts the mind and heart conformed to the ways of the world. The resolution Peter suggests to Simon is to repent and pray that the "thought" of his heart would be forgiven him. Peter's exhortation reinforces the fact that there is no reasoning with God unless our hearts are in line with His.

Reasoning by way of the heart secures our roles as ministers rather than manipulators. If we have doubts about where we stand on either side of the spectrum, remember the way in which God reasons with us. He appeals to our hearts first, rather than our logic. Gaining the allegiance of our hearts later leads to understanding that is spoken into our hearts by His lips. The man puffed up by pride, which includes even some of us believers, resorts to his own understanding when reasoning with others. This is why it is good measure to evaluate the motivation behind our desire to share the truth. Are we merely seeking to be right? Do we look at the souls we lead to Christ as another notch on our belts? Is it to fulfill some self-interest or need? Think about Simon and how he was unable to be used by God all because his heart was not in the right place. Simon's heart was not aligned with His Maker.

Pondering upon this matter has led me to question the ways in which I represent my relationship with Christ. Is my heart open, ready to receive all that He intends to reveal to me, such as how to confront opposition to my beliefs? Am I reasoning with Him over all the affairs of this life so that I might understand His position first before sharing it with others? We want to be sure that we do this in order to avoid presenting the truth in a skewed or misinformed way. It leaves room for the potential of great damage to occur in the spiritual walk of another individual when we misrepresent His word.

I pray that I take all this into account when my grandfather visits again. And when he does, I intend to take his hands, heavy laden with burden, and rest them in mine. When He and I begin to discuss such topics as the nature of our existence, I plan to state my case only after God has reasoned with my heart. I want to speak on behalf of His word and not my own understanding while doing it in a credible way--in love. But, if I am not afforded this opportunity, I am aware that sometimes God isn't requiring that we speak. A demonstration of Christ's love is often the brightest banner we can wave about the truth we stand behind. It is not about being right. It is about doing what's right in God's eyes. And when we reason together with God, He will help us to differentiate between the two.