In the movie Dr. Strange, the main character is a neurologist that is in the top of his class. He can perform surgery with a skill that is unmatched and has an ego that matches it. His entire life revolves around his abilities and those that surround him tolerate his rude and abusive behavior because he literally saves lives.
One fateful evening, he loses control of his car and crashes, mangling his body, including his hands. As a neurosurgeon, his hands are vital, as they are what performs what his brain commands. In a matter of a blink of an eye, his brain can command, but his hands no longer follow. His god like abilities are gone.
He catches rumors of an ancient art that healed an individual that had catastrophic spine damage. He follows a long path and eventually finds the teacher of this ancient art.
As she explains it to him, he becomes incredulous, finding what she says impossible. She speaks about stepping out of our perspective, and stepping into a dimension where time and physics are almost irrelevant. Suffice to say, he ends up figuring it out, only after, though, he is left in the artic and must make his way back by opening a portal before he succumbs because of the elements.
So, what’s the connection you ask? We worship a God that has no boundaries, but we put Him in them everyday. We believe the saving Grace and the hope Eternal, but the rest we remain skeptical. God would appear as a cloud over the Israelites. He reigned fire down on altars and cities. He caused confusion among thousands of soldiers. He caused city walls to crumble. Jesus healed many individuals. He brought some back from the dead. His shadow was enough to heal. And then, He goes to the cross, dies and is resurrected!
Are we like Dr. Strange? Do we believe parts, but not all? I don’t know about you, but if a fellow believer walked up to somebody who died and prayed over them, and they woke up, I would probably flip out a bit. But should we? Isn’t this all possible through the Holy Spirit? Do we pray with apprehension? Not asking God to do the impossible, largely because we don’t think He will?
We worship the God, the one and only, that created the Heavens and Earth. He created our physical reality and the spiritual world. If He wants to flip that on its head, then He can flip it on its head.
This week, I encourage you to pray, and live, to and for, the God we know. Don’t put Him in a box, as He is surely far too big for any box we could possibly create!