Study 27 “The Mystery of God” Part 2

Psalm 11.3-7

The mapping of the human genome is one of the most significant scientific achievements of the modern era. Completed in 2003, the Human Genome Project sought to identify all the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA and to determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA. This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to Andrew Fire and Craig Mello for their discovery of "RNA interference—gene silencing by double-stranded RNA. Basically, what they discovered was a way to control the flow of genetic information. RNA interference can be used to participate in defense against viral infections and may lead to novel therapies in the future.

With these advancements, especially the mapping of the human genome, many thought disease was a thing of the past. Unfortunately, such has not been the case. For instance, fetal stem cell research has run into a wall. One study of the use of fetal stem cells to combat muscular dystrophy in lab rats arrived at a frightening conclusion. The implanted cells, though being effective in controlling MD, turned into rapidly growing tumors.

The problem we have as human beings is our limited knowledge. We believe we can solve any problem by applying creative solutions. Yet, we are unable to envision or anticipate all the consequences of the corrective actions we take. For instance, in the early sixties, a well-intentioned public welfare system was devised by the US government. That system, intended as a tool to eradicate poverty, almost single-handedly destroyed the black family in America. Today, nearly two-thirds of all black births are to unmarried mothers.

In the Bible, God is portrayed as having unlimited knowledge. Isaiah 46.9-11 states, "For I am God, and there is no one like me, . . . Declaring the end from the beginning, . . . I have planned it, surely I will do it." From the perspective of Scripture, God’s knowledge has no bounds.

God, in his sovereignty and omniscience, is able to know intimately and completely the hearts of men. That knowledge, by the way, does not determine our decisions. God simply knows, from his vantage point, what we will do. Thus, the Lord has never been ambushed; he has never been taken by surprise. God is at the beginning and the ending. Otherwise, how could he know "what you need before you ask him"? (Matt. 6.8)

A new theology of our time is called "open theism." Simply described, this approach to God states that he does not know all things, only the grand scheme. God is unable to anticipate the decisions we humans might make. Therefore, he must wait upon us. God is limited in his knowledge, restrained by time, and powerless to act unilaterally.

The whole thrust of Scripture, though, is that God is indeed sovereign. The point of our faith is that we trust more completely in the God who is not limited. We face dilemmas for which we have no solution. What do we do? We pray because we believe God has the right answer. But, if the assertion of Matthew 6.8 is false, then God can have no answer for us when we pray. If he must wait until we act, either wisely or unwisely, before he can respond, then why pray? If we, by our own design, do the right thing, what, then, is the point of praying at all?

Psalm 25.1-3 sums things up in the following way. "To you O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in You I trust. Do not let me be ashamed; do not let my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed." If God, though, is waiting on me to act, and if he cannot anticipate my decisions, we are at a stalemate. I am afraid to act without guidance, he can do nothing until I proceed. Thus, the psalmist’s assertion, "none of those who wait for You will be ashamed," is patently false. To be ashamed means to be let down; to have one’s hope be insufficient. If I wait on God, and he cannot act till I do, I will be let down and shamed.

Yet, if David got it right, then the Lord’s eye indeed is upon the righteous. When he tries me (11.4), he does so to bring me to greater trust in him and his concern for me. The Lord is in his Holy Temple; the Lord’s Throne is in heaven. He is not limited by time and space. He transcends all the limitations we know. He sees me in the midst of my problems, and knows the solution long before I do. Thus, I will wait upon the Lord; in the Lord put I my trust.