Open Theism Discussion Board

You probably remember how Paul the apostle asked God

to give him strength to fulfil his mission, and how the Lord

said, 'My strength is made manifest in weakness. My grace

sufficeth unto thee'. And the weakness of which the Lord

speaks, of course, is neither laziness nor sloth nor timidity.

It's another weakness, it's that of surrender. If I had to

convey it in images I would speak of the way in which a

child is taught to write. A pencil is put into his hand, the

mother takes the hand in hers, and then begins to move it;

and as long as the child does not know, and cannot foresee,

what is expected of him, the lines are so perfect, the

straights are straight, the curves are curved. The moment

the child begins to imagine he understands what is expected

of him, becomes helpful, pushes, pulls, and turns, it becomes

a scribble. Isn't that exactly what happens to us when

instead of listening deeply, silently, listening intently in

the stillness of our heart and ready to wait on God, we

make haste to understand what he wants, and try to do

it before we have understood?