Belated Reflections on Week Seven: The Character of God

Last week we had teaching from an old-time YWAMer, Paul Hawkins. He is actually one of the people who started the first SOIWSW back in 1990! His teaching on The Character of God was different than I expected: instead of a systematic overview of God's characteristics (loving, merciful, just, etc.), he emphasized the importance of knowing God and walking in an understanding of His character and His ways. In other words, I say that God is faithful, but do I live like I believe that? Do I trust Him completely to provide for me and to fulfill His promises? I was inspired by Paul's many stories of living by faith in God's provision. One of his quotes everyone has been repeating is this: "Money is not the issue! God won't always pay for your good ideas, but He always pays for His good ideas. The only issue is the will of God!" This was a good reminder for me, because I think recently I have fallen into a habit of making decisions based on whether or not I can afford something, rather than first asking God what He wants me to do. If God wants me to do something, of course He is going to provide everything I need to do it! God has never failed me in the past, so there is no logical reason to believe He will do so in the future.

Another thing Paul talked about a lot was God's infinite imagination. I don't think I'd ever thought about it quite like this before. But God's imagination is infinite! Think about snowflakes and fingerprints, for example. No two have been the same in all of history; that's pretty amazing! So God can come up with solutions to my problems I never could have fathomed, and He never has to do something the same way twice. When my mind can't possibly imagine a reasonable way for God to come through on one of His promises, I can know that He is infitely more imaginative than I am. That's what we mean when we sing: "God can make a way where there seems to be no way."

Above all, Paul's teaching and stories inspired me to draw closer to God and get to know Him better. It was obvious that Paul knows God and walks with Him closely each day, and I want to have that kind of relationship with God as well. I know my relationship with God won't look the same as Paul Hawkins', but his life shows me there are greater depths of intimacy, and that's what I want!