We are Beggars...

"We are beggars! That is true."--Martin Luther, February 16, 1546 (2 days before his death)

This quote came to mind tonight as I conclude an evening of study. Reflecting at the end of his life, Luther, who spent practically his entire adulthood pouring over and proclaiming the Scriptures, recognized how feeble his understanding truly was. All of us (even the greatest theological and philosophical minds of all time) are in need of God's gracious lisp as Calvin put it. Our minds are too feeble to understand the infinite depth of God's character nor can we fathom His purposes from start to finish. While he has truly revealed Himself by His Word and Spirit, we cannot wrap our minds or our words around the breadth of His being. Our infinite and eternal God exhausts the ability of our frail and finite minds to contemplate. He is incomprehensibly bigger than us.

Christians throughout history have acknowledged that the more we know about God, the more we realize how little we know (a.k.a., "the cloud of unknowing"). What a helpful reminder for us when we ever feel we have arrived or are "getting close." Such thoughts actually reveal quite the opposite: we are getting farther away rather than closer. True understanding of God leads to humility and worship of Him for who He is and what He has done. If our study of God results in pride and self-worship, we have missed the mark miserably.

Father, grant us humility and meekness in our learning. Take the feeble words that we speak and write about you and use them for Your glory and the spreading of Your Gospel. We thank You that it is in our weaknesses that You demonstrate your strength. Help us to humble ourselves before You, to rely solely upon You, and to lead others to know You and make You known. We look forward to the day when Your Son will return and we will no longer "see in a mirror dimly, but [rather] face to face," no longer only "know in part" but rather "know fully, even as [we] have been fully known” (1 Cor 13:12).