Attempting to grasp the Ungraspable

In today’s first reading, 2 Sam 24: 2, 9-17, David attempts to measure God’s power by counting the people of all of the tribes of Israel. How often do we, like David, try to grasp the ungraspable, try to measure God’s presence, God’s power and blessing in our lives, using finite realities-- our realities, human statistics.  We look at how much we have accomplished in a given day, how much our children have accomplished, how rich  or productive we are. Churches look at how many baptisms, confirmations, marriages, converts they secured.  Bishops counts their seminarians. Religious communities count how many postulants and novices they have. We may even count how many prayers we say each day.  When we measure our successes and use them as a means to measure God’s work, God’s presence, God’s blessings, we, like David, are attempting to reduce God and everything about God to finite realities.  God is beyond  human comprehension. Finiteness cannot measure that which is infinite.
 

If God were responding to my questions about this Scripture passage, His explanation might sound something like:   “Dorothy Ann, I am always more than any human being knows.  You are right, it is insulting to try to grasp the Divine. I am more, infinitely more, than human intelligence can fathom. My ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not your thoughts. Your accomplishments, your measurements of success and blessing are nought before me.   Love cannot be measured. Nor can faith or hope, or reconciliation and forgiveness. Mystery is mystery and unfathomable.”

Let us bow down in worship and let God be God!