Finding the Right Box for God

Did you know that God wanted you to find a very nice box for Him and put Him in it? I was surprised to learn this too, but upon studying what the Israelites did with the Ark of the Covenant I was convinced that in fact God wanted us to find an appropriate box and place Him inside. It seemed only logical that in order for me to get a good grasp on God and what He is all about, I needed to put Him in a box.
It would appear that getting God into a box is a near impossible task, as He really doesn’t have to do what we ask. But I know that God is a reasonable being, and that if I reasoned with Him, He would understand my point of view and acquiesce to my request.
I approached God on the matter of the box in a most respectful manner, and laid out why I had come to this decision. “Lord,” I started “I know that you are an awesome God, but I need to make a small request. It occurs to me that my life would be better off if I could be allowed to put you in a box. I want the box to be appropriate, of course, and I will choose carefully. I know this is a strange request, but it really would be the best thing for both of us.”
I was a little concerned at the Lord’s reaction to my request, but to my surprise he was very amicable to my decision. The Lord looked at me and with calmness in His voice simply said “Let us try it your way.”
I was very excited that he had seen it from my point of view, and with very little persuasion on my part. The problem was I hadn’t really considered exactly what kind of box in which I was going to put God. I was so concerned with whether He would agree or not that I didn’t prepare myself for an answer of yes.
I asked God if he could give me a few minutes to look for some box options, and he was fine with that. I raced around the house and started to scrounge through all of my possessions, looking for just the right box in which to put God. I came across some acceptable vessels and ran back to God. I excitedly raced to Him with my arms full.
“Lord,” I said, panting “I have a few I would like to try, just to see what is best.” I tossed down my boxes and sifted through them to find the smallest one I had. It was a beautiful purple jewelry box, the jewelry long gone from its cushioned home. I lifted the box up to the Lord.
“If you don’t mind, try getting into this box. It would be great to be able to keep you in here and when I need you, I can find you amongst all my precious things.” The Lord got into the box as best he could, but no matter how we tried to reposition him and squeeze the lid on He just wouldn’t fit. I felt it unfortunate that I couldn’t get the Lord into the beautiful box I had chosen. But I knew that it would be ok, for I had many other boxes to choose from.
The Lord stood there in front of me while I picked up another one of my boxes. It was a brown boot box that once housed one of the finest pairs of snow boots I had ever seen. It was sturdy and larger than the earring box, and I just knew the Lord would go perfectly in it.
“This box is a bit bigger, Lord. I just know it is the right box for you. Then I can place you next to the protective clothing I wear, and will certainly have access to you when I need it.” The Lord obliged and stepped into the shoebox. I closed the lid and smiled as I walked the Lord into my closet and sat Him up on the highest shelf. As I turned to close the closet door, I heard and loud crash, and spun around to see that the Lord’s shoebox had fallen to the floor, popping the lid off. I hurriedly picked up the box, apologizing to the Lord for the fall. But as I looked in the box, He was nowhere to be found. I looked around the entire closet and could not find a hint of the Lord anywhere. I was a little concerned as to where he had gone, and as I reached for the lid I jumped as I saw Him standing next to me.
“Oh, Lord, you scared me!” I exclaimed. “I am sorry for the fall, maybe a shoebox isn’t the best place to keep you.” I decided that I wanted to have a box that was a little bit sturdier, so I led the Lord back out to the living room and to the pile of boxes. Digging through the pile I found a nice, large box that was sturdy and reinforced. It had once held a delicate painting that was sent to me, and I just knew that it would be perfect for the Lord. I could sit it against the wall so that it wouldn’t fall over, and anytime I wanted to look at the Lord I would know just where to find Him. I beckoned for the Lord to get in the reinforced box, and he was very kind to do so. When He was safely inside, I sealed up the top and placed it against the far wall.
I was very satisfied with where the Lord was now, and headed into the kitchen to prepare myself a sandwich. But as I got into the kitchen, I realized that I wanted to look at the Lord one more time, because he was just so beautiful to me. I went back over to the painting box, opened the top and peaked down at the Lord. But to my surprise, he was no longer there. I moved the box to allow more light in, thinking I hadn’t missed Him in the darkness of the box. But I could see all the way to the bottom without a sign of the Lord. I stood upright, puzzled. As I looked in front of me, I was shocked to once again see Him standing there.
“Lord, you got out of the box again!” I was beginning to get frustrated. “I understand that maybe this box wasn’t right for you. Perhaps something a little roomier would do.” I thought about the new dryer I had purchased, and the box that was still in my garage that it had come in. “Lord,” I motioned to Him, “follow me. I have just the thing.”
We made it to the garage and I pointed at the dryer box. “That would be much better for you Lord, and I can keep you in here where you can be in my house but not in the way.” I smiled at my genius to find a much roomier box that would be more comfortable for the Lord and less intrusive for me. “If you would be so kind, you can have this box.”
The Lord stepped into the dryer box, and I closed the top and was very content with myself. But after a moment, I got concerned that the garage might get too dark for the Lord. I decided to check with Him to make sure it was ok to be in such a dark room. “Lord, are you going to be ok out here in the dark?” I asked. I heard no response, and bent down closer to the side of the box. “Lord,” I said again, louder. “Are you going to be ok in this dark garage?” I still heard nothing.
I yanked open the lid and said “Lord, are you going…” but stopped in mid sentence as I realized once again He was not inside. By this time I was downright angry, realizing that the Lord had again left the beautiful box I had for Him. I spun around the room, expecting to see Him somewhere. When I didn’t, I scurried back through the house, yelling “Lord, why won’t you just stay where I put you. You can’t be unhappy with all of these boxes! One of them has to be ok!”
I could find the Lord nowhere in my house, and as I raced to the front door, He walked in. “Lord,” I exclaimed. “What’s the problem? I have given you plenty of good boxes, and you seem to want to get out of each one.” That was precisely the moment that I had a revelation. The Lord didn’t want a common box that you could find anywhere. He needed a box that was special. He needed a box that was just for Him. Perhaps, like me, he wanted something that was His own, and not made for whatever would fit in it. It had to be something the size of a house, or maybe even…
“That’s it!” I cried. “I know where you need to be Lord!” I took him by the hand and we jumped in the car. I raced several miles down the road to the church that I had attended ever since I was a young man. “This is where you need to be. I am sorry I forgot about this. It is the perfect box for you! You can stay in this box, and I can visit you here every Sunday! This works out perfectly!” I lead the Lord into the church, and told him that I would be back to see him in a few days.
I drove home more content with myself than ever before. I knew that I had found the perfect box for the Lord, and that this was going to make our relationship better than ever. I pulled into my driveway, and realized that there was somebody standing there. I jumped out of my car and to my dismay saw that it was the Lord, staring at me.
“What are YOU doing here?!?” I bellowed. “I left you at the church, and I told you I would be back in a few days. You were NOT supposed to come back here. That is YOUR box, and you are supposed to stay in YOUR box.” As I stopped talking, he stretched his hand out towards me. In His hand was the Bible, opened to Exodus.
“Oh, I get it!” I screamed. “None of those other boxes were good enough for you. You want the box that you had in this book, don’t you?!?” I then knew what I had to do. He wanted his Ark back, the box the Israelites kept Him in. “FINE. If that’s what you want, I will make you your Ark for you. If that’s the box you need, then I will build it with my own two hands!”
Over the next week I did nothing but focus my entire life and energies on building a replica Ark for the Lord. I poured every waking hour into that Ark, crafting and perfecting it to be as close to the original as I could. Every second of every day I spent on that Ark, eating and sleeping as little as I could. Into that ark I poured everything. Into it I poured my hopes, my fears; my anger and my joys; my dreams and my horrors; I poured my soul, good and ill, all that was in me into building that one final box with which the Lord would be happy. I poured everything into the one and final box that the Lord would remain in, content not to keep escaping from.
On Sunday morning I presented my work before the Lord. I brought to Him a replica of the Ark, and with it the expectation that it would be the last box he would need. “Lord, here it is,” I said. I was exhausted beyond words, and I collapsed on my knees to the ground. With my head slumped down, I waved to the Lord. “Now would you please just get in the box?”
I sat there for what felt like an eternity, waiting for the Lord to get in the Ark. The Lord walked slowly towards me and put His hand on my shoulder. “You have built a beautiful box,” He said. “But you know it’s never been about the box. It’s been about why you wanted to have me in the box.”
The Lord continued. “You presented to me a jewelry box and wanted to keep me there. With that, you hoped to keep me like a fine piece of jewelry, but only bring me out to wear me when it suited you and on the right occasions. You presented to me a boot box, and wanted to keep me there. With that, you hoped to have me ready in emergencies, such as bad weather, but ready to put me away when the emergency was over. You presented to me a box for artwork, and wanted to keep me there. With that, you hoped to have me around in your home to look beautiful like a fine piece of art, but never to take me outside of your home. You presented to me the box of a new appliance and wanted to keep me there. With that, you hoped to keep me around to do only the things you wanted me to do, and not to be involved in any other part of your life. You presented to me a building, and wanted to keep me there. With that, you could come to me only when it was convenient, and leave me there safely out of your life at all other times.”
The Lord paused, and placed his other hand on the Ark. “You presented to me an Ark, like the one my people carried. With that, you hoped to copy a ritual and safely keep me under control.”
I looked at the Lord, and with exasperation, cried out. “If there is no box to keep you in, what am I to do with you?!? I have no place else to put you.”
The Lord calmly looked at me. “Though the Israelites carried the Ark, and in that were obedient, they were still showing you what it is I want. As with them, I want to know you, and be in relationship with you. And the place to keep me is in your heart.”
I began to cry. The Lord was right. I had been so focused on keeping God contained that I never thought to acknowledge the fact that God will not be contained. He wants to be everywhere in my life, and for that I should be grateful. In fact, I needed to be more than grateful. I needed to be humbled. That’s when the Lord truly humbled me.
“You see,” the Lord said, “there will come a time that will be your end of days. At your end of days, they will all gather, and they will put you in a box. It will be at that time, at a time you are most helpless, that I will come. I will come, and I will stand up for you. I will bring you out of that box. And I will bring you to me.”