?Go further? by trusting God

Lurking in the back of my mind ? niggling at my conscious thought ? is a slogan developed by the Ford Motor Company in the late-1960s. ?Ford has a better idea.?

The slogan was coupled with a visual image of a bright light bulb, which signified inspiration. People, seemingly, were swayed by the slogan, persuaded by the image of the light bulb and, literally, bought Ford automobiles ? lots of Ford automobiles. Ford automobile owners were loyal even to the third and fourth generation.

In subsequent years, Ford has, of necessity, rolled out new advertising pitches ? new ?better ideas? ? like: ?Quality Is Job One,? ?Everything We do is Driven by You,? and ?Drive One.? Recently, ?Drive One? has been replaced by ?Go Further.?

Apparently, the executives of Ford Motor Company wouldn?t rest comfortably and couldn?t trust in the profitably on its ?better idea? advertising scheme. The people who worked for and guided Ford Motor Company had to return constantly to the drawing board to develop a new better idea. Both exhausting and very costly, I would imagine.

Throughout our relationship and history with God, God has advanced God?s own idea and championed God?s wisdom. ?In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.? (Isaiah 30:15) However, we, humans have not been swayed or persuaded by the divine slogan and have not bought into the holy message. Perhaps, if there was a spiffy graphic to go along with the words, we would have been more convinced. Who knows?

We, God?s own children, have repeatedly known that ?we have a better idea? than God?s idea and God?s will for us. We are a people of resolve who are impressed by our personal and communal status, station and strength. We have confidence that there has to be a better idea than passivity and quiet trust. We take pride that we are a people of action. Without plan or knowledge or prayer or hope of success, we react to events and purposely stride from one doomed human activity to the next.

All because we know that we have ?a better idea? than God?s. Hubris. We go back to the drawing board ? again and again ? captives of excessive pride that exhausts our bodies, minds and spirits and hostages of arrogance that costs us much in our relationships with God and with God?s children ? our brothers and sisters.

Today, perhaps, we might consider that God doesn?t just have a ?better idea,? God has the best idea.

?In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.? (Isaiah 30:15) Have hope in the grace and mercy of God whose ?Job One? is to ?be gracious to [us] ... [and] to show mercy to [us]. And, ?Go further? in trust and wait for the Lord who is and always will be a God of justice. (Isaiah 30:18).