Review:
The Grand Weaver by Ravi Zacharias is not one of Ravi’s better books. The central theme of how God weaves patterns
of purpose in Christians’ lives keeps getting co-opted as Zacharias goes off on
various tangents of philosophical thinking that are only partially relevant to
the main theme. He is actually writing
for two very different audiences – the philosophers from other religions plus
the agnostics and skeptics on the one hand, and the genuine Christians who are
seeking insight into God’s patterns for their lives on the other hand. As a result of his bifurcated target, he
keeps jumping back and forth between audiences, so neither audience is well
served. Still, the excerpts show some
pearls of wisdom for committed Christians.
Mary Lou Codman-Wilson, Ph.D. 10/9/13
Excerpts:
Tender Hearts and a
Mind of Faith
“God the Grand Weaver seeks
those with tender hearts so that he can put his imprint on them. Your hurts and
your disappointments are part of that design, to shape your heart and the way
you feel about reality. The hurts you live through will always shape you… A
heart in close communion with God helps carry you through the pain…the dark
seasons of questioning…questions that have answers and questions that don’t”
(pp. 40, 42).
“Faith is a thing of the
mind, If you do not believe that God is in control and has formed you for a
purpose, then you will flounder on the high seas of purposeless-ness, drowning
in the currents and drifting further into nothingness” (p.43). “The day that each person willingly accepts himself or
herself for who he or she is and acknowledges the uniqueness of God’ framing
process [the intricacy of our DNA design] marks the beginning of a journey to
seeing the handiwork of God in each life (pp.
30, 29).
“The Bible…tells us that the
rudder and sail remain in God’s control, and that we enter the high seas with
the understanding that we must trust Him. If you do not have the mind of faith,
then you will fall into repeated peril and God will get the blame” (p.45).
“The love of God shows us
that God alone bridges the distance between Him and us, enabling us to see this
world through Calvary… Make the cross aortic nerve of your life… If you do not
see it that way, then you will never see it God’s way – and the threads of the
masterpiece he is weaving of your life will always pull away from the design”
(p.49).
What is a Calling?
“A call may not necessarily
feel attractive to you, but it will tug on your soul in an inescapable way, no
matter how high the cost of following it may be…It is God’s vital purpose in
positioning you in life and giving you the vocation and context of your call to
serve him with a total commitment to do the job well” (pp. 59). “God
has intricately woven together my hopes, my dreams, and my vocation. God’s plan
for each of us includes the way He has wired our thinking and prepared whatever
it is in our lives that will bring us fulfillment” (p. 65).
Suzanna Wesley was asked by
her son John to define sin. She says, “’Son, whatever weakens your reasoning, impairs
the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God or takes away
your relish for spiritual things; in short, if anything increases the authority
and power of the flesh over the Spirit, then that to you becomes sin, however
good it is in itself’…Your life’s goal is a measuring stick you need to
determine whether attractions and distractions are legitimate or illegitimate”
(p.118). “Our
will has no power to do God’s will until it first dies to our own desires and
the Holy Spirit brings a fresh power within” (p.122).
“The thread of worship binds
together all the rest of the threads in our lives. We cannot see the pattern if
this thread goes missing…If this thread is absent, nothing holds the design
together when it comes under stress or gets strained by tension” (pp.132-133). “Why
did God institute special festivals and seasons?...To help us recall the many
threads that go into our worship – celebrating our redemption, commemorating
the path to our salvation, exalting in our resurrection…The loss of worshipful praise
results in the defacing of life’s essential purpose” (pp.147-148).
Destiny
“The scriptures clearly
declare that God has chosen us to be conformed to the image of His Son. The Son
has provided the destination we must reach…The simple description of being at
home with God is the ultimate destiny of the follower of Jesus Christ…When all
is said and done,…God calls us home to be with him. That is my destiny” (pp.155-157). “Our move from earth to heaven will serve as the
thread that ties our memories together with reality, and will enable us to see
the temporal in light of the eternal” (p.167).
“God’s design for you is the
best thing He has for you so let God hold the threads so that you will someday
see the beauty and the marvel He had in mind when He created you…God holds the
threads; you hold the shuttle. Move it at God’s behest, and watch the making of
something spectacular” (pp.172-173).