“Some would say I was a lost man in a lost world…” —Sting
Here’s the fourth truth we desperately need to remember when it feels as if we may be deconstructing.
TRUTH #4: God knows the SCORE and will ultimately MAKE THINGS RIGHT.
Even though every aspect of David’s world was being shaken, He remained confident that not only is God sovereign and strong, God is also omniscient, holy and just. God will ultimately set things right. Check out Verses 4-5.
The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them. 5 The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion. —Ps 11:4-5 NIV
God knows everything. That means, EVERYTHING!
The word omniscient means that God fully knows Himself. He knows everything that is “actual” and everything that is “possible” — past, present and future, in one simple and eternal act.
When Scripture indicates that God knows EVERYTHING, that doesn’t mean that God’s really sharp or incredibly smart. It doesn’t even mean that God is a genius or has a high IQ. It means that God actually knows EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING.
This is stunning.
For instance, in Matthew 10:30 Jesus said that God even knows the number of hairs on our head. For some of us that probably requires hourly updates. Hebrews 4:12 indicates that God knows the very thoughts and intentions of our hearts (also see Job 37:16; 1 Jn 3:20). He knows our ulterior motives, inner desires and desperate longings. God knows me and God knows you — personally, deeply, intimately.
Look at how David described God’s knowledge in Psalm 139.
O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. 3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. 4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. —Ps 139:1-4 NLT
God’s complete, comprehensive and total knowledge of Himself, of us, of people and of the universe, gave David an incredible sense of strength, confidence and even courage.
In Psalm 11, in a time of unparalleled upheaval, David responded to the fear-filled advice of his friends by basically saying, “I know you think you know what’s going on and what’s going to happen, but your perspective is limited to the here and now — to the scope of your finite awareness. But God knows it all! He knows what’s going on in this world. He hasn’t walked off the job. He’s totally and completely aware. He knows what my enemies are up to. He knows their plans and intentions. Nothing catches Him by surprise or off guard. He also knows what’s going on with me… God knows…”
God is holy and God is just! He will ultimately
set things right!
But David believes in more than God’s omniscience. He believes that God will ultimately take action and set things right. In verses 5-7, David points to the fact that God is holy. In other words, He is perfect and pure. He is completely set apart from and opposed to all that is sinful and evil.
On top of that, not only is God holy, He is also just. He is a good and perfect judge who will ultimately hold everyone and everything accountable. An honorable judge can’t just wink and let evil and lawlessness rule the day. They have to set things right.
Check out what David says in Verses 6-7.
On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. 7 For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face.
—Ps 11:6-7 NIV
In verse 6, David is banking on the justice of God. He believes judgment is coming. It may occur in this life or the next, but ultimately David is convinced that God will make things right, because that’s His character. He is “righteous” and He “loves justice.”
But the last phrase in the psalm may be the most important. Because despite all that’s going on in his personal world, David is convinced of this reality: “…the upright will see God’s face.”
“…the upright will see God’s face.”
This is the same hope that gripped Job in the throes of unspeakable personal loss. Job made the following statement:
I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. 26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; 27 I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! —Job 19:25-27 NIV
Job was convinced that He would ultimately be re-united with God. David possesses the same hope. “…the upright will see God’s face.”
Have you ever been separated from a loved one for a prolonged period of time and looked forward to the reunion? Reunions with loved ones can be amazing!
In Psalm 11:7, David looked forward to the greatest reunion that will ever occur. He looked forward to the reunion that is the fruit of our faith and trust — when we see with our own eyes the God that we have loved and trusted even though we couldn’t see Him.
You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. —1 Peter 1:8-9 NLT
The goal of healthy deconstruction
It seems that in this culture, the goal of many is simply DECONSTRUCTION for deconstruction’s sake. It’s to dismantle or tear down everything that has been, with no clear idea of what to replace it with.
But for Christians, deconstruction not only has an AUTHORITY — the Word of God, it also has a GOAL. The goal of healthy deconstruction is not deconstruction for deconstruction’s sake. It’s not doubt as a rite of passage. The goal is eternal life. The goal is Jesus. Always, Jesus.
Jesus described it like this in John 17:3.
Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. —John 17:3 NIV
C.S. Lewis on Deconstructing Our Views of God
In his book, A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis describes his experience with grief in the aftermath of the death of his wife, Joy. In one section, Lewis describes his memories of Joy. He very vulnerably talks about how he found himself “falling in love” with his memories of Joy, more than Joy herself.
Then as only Lewis could do, He applied this same principle to his faith. To the fact that sometimes we love our ideas about GOD more than we love GOD HIMSELF. Listen to the way he describes this:
“I need Christ, not something that resembles Him. I want [Joy]., not something that is like her. A really good photograph might become in the end a snare, a horror, and an obstacle… My idea of God is not a divine idea. It has to be shattered time after time. He shatters it Himself. He is the great iconoclast. Could we not almost say that this shattering is one of the marks of His presence?” ―C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed, p 77, Kindle Edition
Has your faith been shaken?
Do you feel like you may be going thru a period of deconstruction?
Perhaps this is an opportunity for you to examine some of the bad theology you were raised in?
Maybe you need to talk with someone about some experiences in life that left you hurt, wounded, even gasping for air?
If any of these apply, please remember that the goal of deconstruction is never just deconstruction. The goal is never simply doubt. The goal is always JESUS. Simply JESUS. It’s to end up the same place Thomas ended up when He finally experienced the resurrected Christ intimately and personally, fell at His feet and cried out in worship, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28).
The goal is Jesus! Always Jesus!
Review — Four Things To Remember When You Feel Like You’re Deconstructing:
•Crisis doesn’t BUILD character or faith, it REVEALS them.
•It’s critical to recognize the difference between a “PEOPLE” wound and a “GOD” wound.
•In a world that is unstable and scary, God is still SOVEREIGN and STRONG.
•God knows the SCORE and will ultimately MAKE THINGS RIGHT.
Recommended Resource on Deconstruction:
After Doubt: How To Question Your Faith Without Losing It by A.J. Swoboda
Another Gospel: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity by Alisa Childers
In Faith & Doubt Podcast
With A.J. Swoboda and Nijay K. Gupta
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