The Transcendent God for the Transcendent Longing of the Soul - Pt 2 The Longing For Truth

Most of us have had the experience of a conversation with a young child in which the question “Why?” comes from their lips. Perhaps you tried to give an answer, and then your answer was met by another “Why?” So, you answered again, only to hear another “Why?” in response. This cycle went on and on, not until the young inquisitor was satisfied, but until you ran out of ideas, and ended the interaction by saying something like “Because I said so!” Or maybe, being somewhat more secure, you honestly admitted that you don’t know the next level of answer demanded by the basic question – “Why?”

This common, simple (but actually profound) dialogue with a child illustrates in a powerful way the fact that we humans have an innate awareness that there is information “out there somewhere” that surpasses our understanding, our grasp of available knowledge. There is information about why the apple is red or green, or why the moon changes shape, or why the rain feels wet to us (but would it feel wet to a fish?) The fact that we can know things, even if we can’t know them exhaustively, points us beyond ourselves, and gives us a hint that somewhere there must be full knowledge, there must be complete understanding, some entity that must know everything about everything. And since we are personal, and there are many questions about that, this entity “out there” must be personal too.

This longing of the soul to know things, to understand and comprehend our world, our friends and family, the galaxy we inhabit – this longing is common to all human beings. Yet we are also aware that no matter how far we proceed in the search for answers to the basic questions of Who, What, Where, When, How, and of course, Why? we will will never find the full answer within the confines of the natural world around us. There must be something beyond, perhaps Someone, who knows, and who perhaps is willing to communicate Truth to us.

If there is complete knowledge, or Truth (and it is reasonable to think there is), then there must be a Source of that Truth. The Source we seek must be beyond the subjective, relativistic and entirely unsatisfying “your truth” that is spoken of by self-appointed authorities like Oprah Winfrey. There must be objective, eternal Truth that is actually universal, that encompasses all of life, the entire created order, and that is sufficient to answer the questions we have. The seeker of Truth demands something beyond ourselves, beyond our puny perspective, the kind of Truth that has the power to explain and to resolve all the issues that confront us.

The questions that arise in our souls are in reality an invitation to seek after, to pursue the One Who is that Source, the One the Bible reveals to us as God. He is necessarily there, for the presence of the questions demands that there be an Answer somewhere. He has spoken to us, and has told us that His secrets are available to us (Psalm 25:14). His Son Jesus tells us that He Himself is the Truth (John 14:6), and that even though there are things beyond human understanding, that He has given us of His Spirit that we might know the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:9-12).

We are invited by the Spirit of God to seek after Him, that we might know the Truth about Him, about ourselves, and about our world. We can respond to that invitation, or, in the words of one thinker:

“Yet the presence of the divine essence does not ask the question for me; it does not create for me. It provides the crucial datum of incomplete intelligibility that incites me to ask the question—but I do not have to answer this question, I do not have to seek an answer; I don’t even have to ask the question. I can behold incomplete intelligibility, and instead of pursuing its invitation, eat a bon-bon and watch a rerun on television.”

My choice is to be a seeker of Truth for all my days. You are invited as well to join that journey.

Blessings, Gary Wiens

The Transcendent God for the Transcendent Longing of the Soul

People who think and reflect deeply upon the human condition have articulated five realms of desire that are common to human beings, regardless of their nationality, religion, or any other societal factor. These realms of desire, or longing, exert tremendous influence over every individual, and give rise to a seemingly endless variety of attempts to meet these longings within the framework of natural experience. These attempts invariably fall short of the goal of satisfaction, because the reality is that, no matter what we experience in relation to these realms of desire, we instinctively know that there is yet more to be had. In the inner reaches of our souls, we know that we have not fully met the longing we feel, and so we often give in to the temptation of repeating strategies that have failed us, time and time again.

These five realms of desire, or longing, may be summarized in these concepts, often called “the transcendentals.” They are: the longing for Truth, the longing for Love, the longing for Goodness (sometimes called Justice), the longing for Beauty, and the longing for Home. Even a brief reflection on each of these transcendentals awakens that sense of desire, or longing in the human heart. When one takes the time and effort to reflect more deeply, one begins to realize that our repeated attempts to come to satisfaction and fulfillment invariably fall short, and we come to the end of that attempt with the vague and aching knowledge that there is still more, something beyond what we have touched. The awareness of this failure to realize what we seek either drives us to despair and a crippling disillusionment, or it can propel us to deeper seeking, to a positive disillusionment that may lead to the awakening of vision and hope.

In this series of articles, we will explore this reality of desire, or longing, as well as reflecting on each of the five transcendentals that are common to each of us in our own experience. Then, as we consider the reality of the transcendentals, we will also explore the conclusion that the fullness that we seek is found only in the God of the Bible, the Father of the Lord Jesus, and the Giver of the Holy Spirit. There is a familiar quote from the writings of St. Augustine that expresses this journey so well:

“For Thou hast made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.”

I hope you’ll follow along on this little journey from week to week. Blessings on you!
Gary Wiens

Human Hypocrisy and the Hunger for Righteousness

It is an interesting thing to observe all the partisan proclamations and denials coming from all sides of the political spectrum these days. Who is fit to govern, why or why not should this or that person be in a place of power and influence, who lied when and to whom … the tumult increases in volume daily. Hypocrisy and inconsistency on all sides make up the order of the day.

At the root of all of it, burning in the deep places of the human soul, is a hunger for righteousness, the innate sense that we ought to be governed by someone who is righteous, fair, without prejudice, perfectly wise, and yes, even loving in their dealings with the people who look to them for leadership. There ought to be prosperity and equity in material matters, freedom to pursue fulfillment in life within reasonable boundaries, protection from enemies, yet grace toward those in need, and even toward those who disagree with our points of view.

All of these things – and many more – are legitimate desires within the souls of normal folks, and yet, we as followers of Jesus continue to make a fundamental mistake in our search for worthy leaders. We continue to set our sights far too low, hoping that some elected individual or group with the right platform is going to provide the solutions needed in our society for the general well-being of all.

The foment, confusion, and even hatred that is vented in the press, on social networks, and in the media all too often draws us into the fray at an entirely ineffective level, and as we get caught up in the swirl of opinions, we lose our perspective on the real issue: what we are looking for is the rule and reign of Jesus as the only one worthy to be trusted with all authority, power, and might.

Instead of arguing with one another over which party or which individual has what it takes, we must get settled in this reality: there is only One found worthy. Our energies must be re-focused on the real battle, the one waged in worship and intercession for the return of the King.

If we continue to give first priority to the political and social issues facing our nation and world, and continue to take sides in the partisan struggle of who is right and who is wrong and who is crazy and who is sane, we will miss the main point. The reality of the struggle is before us in order to draw our gaze to a higher and better Kingdom, and to draw our hearts to long for a greater King.

There is only One King worthy of our attention and affection. He is Jesus, and He is waiting to hear the voice of His people inviting Him to return home and release His righteous Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. This is not fairy tale – it is our only real hope.

Gary Wiens