“ … Hy koester gedagtes …”
(2 Sam 14:14, OAV)
Dis bykans onmoontlik om die sielsdimensie van God na waarde te skat, of enigsins te probeer verstaan. ‘n Mens het die vermoede dat omdat Hy God is en van ewigheid was en tot in ewigheid bestaan, daar ‘n grys eenselwigheid oor Hom getrek is. Ons vermoed Hy is verveeld met die totale insig van alles. Niks kan Hom meer verras nie; alles is presies soos Hy dit weet. Dit skep by ‘n mens ‘n predekerige gevoel van eindelose verveeldheid, selfs wanhoop: Alles wat is, was alreeds, sal altyd wees. Omdat ons God hoofsaaklik as Gees ken, gaan die skeppende faset van God se sielsdimensie ons dikwels verby.
God het duidelik ‘n sielsdimensie – Hy het ‘n verstand, ‘n wil en emosies. Job 36:5 sê: “He is mighty in strength of understanding”; trouens: “daar is geen deurgronding van sy verstand nie” (Jes 40:28). Ons weet Hy het baie bepaald ‘n wil (Rom 12:2); en die Skrif is vol aanduidings dat Hy kwaad kan word, liefhet, teer is, haat – alle fasette van emosies. Dit alles dui daarop dat God ook in sy sielsdimensie kenbaar kan wees. Daarom maan Jesus ons: “Jy moet die Here jou God liefhê met jou hele hart en met jou hele siel en met jou hele verstand.” (Mat 22:37).
Maar dit is veral in die onverwagte aspekte van sy Persoonlikheid waarin ek dikwels vreugde vind. Dink ‘n bietjie na daaroor dat Hy – soos die Skrif hierbo sê – gedagtes koester! Waaroor dink Hy? In Jer 29:11 sê Hy wat Hy oor ons, byvoorbeeld dink: “Want Ék weet watter gedagtes Ek aangaande julle koester, spreek die HERE, gedagtes van vrede en nie van onheil nie, om julle ‘n hoopvolle toekoms te gee.”
Ons moet nie die happening met die skepping van die eerste mens miskyk nie. Duidelik moes God hieroor baie gedagtes gekoester het. Maar toe gebeur dit, en ek kan nie ‘n beter beskrywing van hierdie heerlikheid gee as Don Milam in The secret language of Eden nie: “The Image-Maker made a move towards the creature. Man had been there in His thoughts, it seemed forever, and now he would stand before Him as living being, image of His image, creation of His love. Father could hardly wait to hold him in His arms.
“Compelled by the intense longing to experience Himself, Father placed His lips on the face of the man. As the warmth of Divine compassion pressed lovingly against the human vessel, God gathered Himself for the moment He had so long anticipated.
“Breathing in deeply and with one great force of spirit-wind, a surge of divine breath exploded, as it were His mouth, instantly filling every portion of the creature’s being. As celestial substance poured into the creature, lying still in Creator’s arms, and the first of a new species came into being.
“In that instant, divine life infused the lifeless matter … a life came forth, and a spirit was created. Man arose out of the darkness of nonbeing into the the majestic light of being …”
Dit sou ook kon wees, soos Milan Kundera amper J gesê het: The incredible being of lightness, met “’n alles oortreffende ewige gewig van heerlikheid” (2 Kor 4:17)! Sela.
- Sela: Vra God watter gedagtes Hy rondom jou koester.
- Lees: 1 Kron 22; Jer 48; 1 Pet 3
- Memoriseer: 1 Pet 3:12
- Vir dieper delf: Lees hfst 2 in Don Milam in The secret language of Eden
