Refuel: Faith-Building Pit-Stops On Your Road TripНамуна

THE BIG OOPS!

Here’s a bit of trivia. In 1631, a publisher made a major mistake in printing the Bible. It accidentally forgot the “not” in the sixth commandment. This is how its version of Exodus 20:14 looked like: “Thou shalt commit adultery.”

The blunder was such a whopper that the printer was forced to pay a huge fine for forgetting the “not.” Because of the foul, that version of the Bible was even nicknamed, “The Wicked Bible.” Well, this error is a classic case of man being human — not perfect, prone to mix-ups, and at best still susceptible to slip-ups. Good thing the adjective “imperfect” applies only to earthlings like you and me.

As far as that monumental Bible blooper is concerned, it sure is a relief to know that lapses happen only with printers and publishers. A bigger relief is that the One (the perfect God) who authored it can never make mistakes. Hallelujah for that!

For God is without sin — with no record of faults. He has zero flaws. He’s always on target, and His methods, precise and accurate. It’s OK for Him to work without any margin for error. He doesn’t need it; it’s simply impossible for Him to make a miscalculation.

And if He was a basketball player, He’d never miss a shot. If He was a student, He’d ace all His exams. If He was a cook, He’d surely come up with food that tastes like it came from heaven. And if He was a runner, He would be the only One to get the gold medals since the beginning of time until the end. Our God is textbook perfect.

The prophet Isaiah had an encounter with our perfect God. In a divine moment, He saw sinless six-winged angels cover their feet and faces to give reverence to the God without fault. They were singing just one song. “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts!” “Woe is me, for I am undone!” were the words that came out of the mouth of the imperfect prophet. He came across Holiness personified. And He understood the perfectness of God.

To us who serve Him, this may translate to a good number of truths. Since God makes zero mistakes, this means that:

• After obeying, where you are in right now is where you’re supposed to be. If He asked you to go there, and life has become a li’l bit tougher, don’t worry. God has you where He wants you.
• What you look like is not a mental lapse from God when He was creating you. Remember that you were wonderfully made.
• What He’s asked you to do and give up is perfect for you. Understand that His ways are always right.
• What He promised you, He will do. Take note that because He is perfect, it is impossible for Him to lie.
• His timing is always right — never too early and never late. He will never be absent. So if He says wait, it means that the right time has not come yet.

In case you are in a daze, asking God whether or not He gave you the right direction, cling on to the truth that God is a perfect God — no mistakes, no lies, no miscalculations, no wrong directions. And if in case you’re suffering right now, have a li’l more faith to believe, that what you’re going through is necessary and just temporary. It’s part of God’s plan. Just continue to trust and everything will make sense in the future.

One on one with God
Father God, today I am relieved to know that You are a God who never makes mistakes. You are always precise. You are always accurate in Your ways. Today, Lord, I am comforted by the truth that Your ways, Your timing and Your plans are always perfect. Even if sometimes I don’t understand — today I choose to believe in the truth that You are perfect — and that means You never make mistakes. Thank You for this word of comfort, Dad. Amen