Hamartia or Hyperbole: Make Your Choice

UV 1172/10,000 Hamartia or Hyperbole: Make Your Choice

For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.
Job 23 v 14
God is upclose and personal. He has many plans for each one of us. He performs that which He has planned for us. Nothing He has intended can be thwarted, prevented, neutralised or defeated. He does not need our help to do it. There is nothing we can do to bring it to pass except to wait with expectation. Of course, we can foul up His plans for us by running counter to it as Jonah did in trying to move in the opposite direction to Nineveh to which he had a call from God to go and warn of impending judgement. But God will bring us back to track even if it may cause us some pain, distress or inconvenience. I was a consistent under performer in academics and a whole host of fields before I received Jesus into my life. Hamartia or shortcoming was writ large all over my character and everything I did or attempted. But, the Lord broke the spirit of “hamartia” and replaced it with “hyperbole” or overperformance beyond all peer and family as well as colleagues’ expectations. Imagine the Times paper of the UK reporting “ Indian police officer leads scholar team to the London School of Economics.” My school teachers would never have placed a bet on me.

The Lord God is mindful of many such matters He has planned to do in our lives. His mind is full of plans to do us good and not harm, to give us hope and a future in eternity. The best of us can only think long term. A statesman thinks of the needs of the next generation. But God Almighty thinks of a thousand generations. He thinks in terms of eternity. We think in terms of securing our comfort here and now while He thinks of our home in “glory land” as well as glory in our land. He does many things multi-purpose and on time every time, never too late or too early. Sometimes we are not mature or prepared enough for a particular experience. He defers it till we are ready. The words “ the thing” in the uni-verse reveals that the Lord has a specific plan with many details fleshed out for each of us. It has to wait for the appointed time for its completion or fulfilment. It does not mean that we do not make our own plans or set our goals or make efforts to attain those goals. It only means that man’s plan got to agree with God’s plan. When that happens, heaven rejoices, the angels celebrate, the Holy Spirit chuckles with delight, miracles are released. We are no longer on the natural curve but on a supernatural learning and doing curve.

God does not tell us ahead of time what His specific plans are. But He does allow the Holy Spirit to give us a word of knowledge, a word of comfort and promptings for guidance along the way. We can discern His plans by seeking His will in all situations and circumstances and at every turn or crucial decisions of our lives. We should not make any major move in our lives without consulting Him in prayer and obtaining the peace that it is in accordance with His pleasing will. If we act in haste, we would rue and regret it. He will, of course, help us come back on course from the detour we have taken. Each of us is an arrow in the hand of a skilful archer who knows how to get us to the bull’s eye of the target or goal He has in mind for us. When I look back I can give testimony for the truth of this uni-verse as I recall the details of my life from childhood. He was with me in the dark days and the bright ones. He was my comforter in the valley of the shadow of death. He led me to take the right turns with regard to my career and my marriage and family life. He was in the details of my life, some of them seemingly minor or too small for Him to take notice. For instance, when I was selected for the British Gurukul Scholarship, they needed me to take a master check up in a leading hospital. Just at the time, I won the first prize in a national contest, “ Chicken Soup for the Indian Soul Contest.” God never allowed the famed author Jack Hansen, the chief judge an element of doubt. He ended up scoring my little story of a life changing experience an absolute score of ten on ten, saying “ I can’t take a word from it or add a word.” It was more than just soup for his soul. The prize incidentally was a master check up sponsored by the co- host, the Apollo group of hospitals.

Prateep V Philip

Today’s fillipism based on the above meditation:
God replaces the hamartia or shortcomings of our natural lives with the hyperbole of the supernatural for He knows that hamartia causes failure, frustration and sadness while hyperbole or “doing exceeding ability and expectations” produces exceeding joy and great celebration.