Not a Tame Lion

The following video clip by Francis Chan was emailed to me a couple of weeks back and has had me thinking.


Chan is doing a few things here, among them promoting his new book and tip-toeing into the fray over the Rob Bell "Love Wins" book. But his main point is that we need more humility when doing our theologizing. He quotes Isaiah 55, Yahweh says "my ways are not your ways and my thoughts are not your thoughts." If you take a look at the Isaiah passage there are very strong allusions to God's response to Job in the concluding chapters of that book, where God says in essence "who are you, puny mortal, to question me?" Chan's message in the video reminds me of a memorable line from C.S. Lewis' Narnia books, which warns that while the lion Aslan is good "he's not a tame lion."
One of the things I value most about my faith and specifically about the bible is that it very often challenges me. God demands things I don't always like, and forgives people I don't always think should be granted grace. The bible is full of stuff that quite beyond not understanding, I understand quite well but do not like what I understand! To swing briefly into more abstract and philosophical language, I value my faith and the central book of my faith in large part because in them I encounter a God who is truly "other" and not simply a projection of my own ego.
Yet when I finished watching the above video I was left with a sense that something was missing. The conclusion seemed a little to glib, a slightly more nuanced version of the saying I heard in some churches growing up that "the bible says it, that settles it for me." Granted God is God and I am a mere mortal, his ways are much higher than my own, but as someone looking for truth and goodness in a confusing world with many voices claiming authority this sentiment is not very helpful.
You say, "God is so much greater than you, who are you to judge his choices or actions?" And I wonder, "which "god" is claiming this, and why should I listen to this one and not another?" There are plenty to chose from; so how can I make my way?
Furthermore, there is a part of me that would rather curse and rebel against a demonic and unjust god than worship such a deity, no matter how real or powerful. At the end of the day the above argument is a pious variation on the assertion that "might makes right."
In our culture perhaps the biggest question that people have about God is that of trust: can I trust a God who let me be abused as a child? Can I trust a God who has followers who do terrible things? Can I trust God to forgive me when I cannot forgive myself? All of these questions are not questions about the reality of God, the existence of God, or some other abstract agnosticism--they are much more visceral and personal questions. The hearts of many people today are in essence saying, "even if God exists and Jesus and the bible are true, do I want to follow that kind of God?"
The missing element to Chan's message is trust. In my own quest for truth and goodness this has become a guiding theme--I follow Jesus because at the end of the day I trust him. Sometimes I have followed him out of habit, sometimes out of love, sometimes for other reasons, but I have followed him long enough now to know that I trust him. The ancient Hebrews would encourage each other to "taste and experience that Yahweh is good" (Psalms 34:8, my paraphrase). When I struggle to understand why God allows something or why he allows such unlovable people to be called by his name I find myself coming back to this trust that I have experienced. When I am at my wits end and cannot make my way on my own, I trust him to lead me. He's not a tame lion, but I trust him even when his claws are out and my heart feels the terror of his roar.