How Big Is Your God?
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We are created for worship; and because of that, all mankind defaults to worship of someone or something.
It is inescapable.
Even those who claim to not worship any god, still engage in worship; worshiping their own ideas and philosophies.
So much of our response to life, circumstances, and crises depends on how big our God is; and whether or not deep inside we feel that He is capable of handling these situations without our help.
How big is your God?
This is the question we see asked in Isaiah 40:12-14
“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, measured heaven with a span and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has taught Him? With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge,
And showed Him the way of understanding?
We tend to put huge importance on science and scientific discovery, but for all that we have learned through science about the world, its make up, and it’s intricacies; about the human body and it’s function, we will never fully understand it all.
We will still be confounded and confused; because despite our technology and new discoveries, we will only ever be able to approximate what God knows in detail.
And while many will willingly admit that there is some “higher being” in charge, many refuse to acknowledge Almighty God as God, because in doing so, they will have to become accountable to Him.
So they begin conjuring up a god more to their liking.
To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him?” Isaiah 40:18
They take the piece from Scripture that agree with their image of God: that He is loving and kind, that He is accepting of everyone;.
They will very often leave out the Old Testament, because this image of God is harsh and vengeful; opting instead for stories of Jesus not condemning the adulterous woman and allowing Mary to wash His feet with her tears.
Then, they build around these fragments of God an image very unlike Almighty God.
An image of a god who is permissive and without conviction.
But God confronts these idol-makers in Isaiah 40:19-20
“The workman molds an image, the goldsmith overspreads it with gold, and the silversmith casts silver chains. Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution chooses a tree that will not rot; he seeks for himself a skillful workman to prepare a carved image that will not totter.”
Then He goes on to say: “You are aiming too low. There is nothing your hand can make, and there is not enough gold and silver in the Universe that can compare to Almighty God and the power He possesses.”
Then he ends with this powerful question: “’To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal?’ says the Holy One.” Isaiah 40:25
He is literally saying, “I’m waiting. Tell Me who you will compare me to. Who is my equal? Who, in all of history, can do what I’ve already done…and what I’m about to do.”
Any image of God we conjure up, that does not agree with what we see in the literal and entirety of Scripture, is a god that’s too small and too weak.
Because the full picture of God that we see in both the Old and New Testaments demands that submit ourselves to Him and His sovereignty.
He demands that our philosophies submit to His commands and precepts.
He demands that our worldview submits to the entirety of Scripture and it’s guidelines.
He demands that our decisions and life choices submit to the boundaries laid out in Scripture.
And when we take this step of faith, to walk away from the idol of our own making: an idol that submits to our self-rule and ability to have the last word…
The idol whose convictions morph and change with the changing tide of cultural norms…
When, in faith, we choose to reject our idols and bring our entire being – body, soul, and spirit – into subjection to God, as He is in the entirety of Scripture, we are rewarded.
Because this unequaled power that He wields, this unsurpassed knowledge that He possesses, this incomparable greatness that He is….
This becomes our comfort and our safety.
You see, when we have a revelation of who God really is, we understand how protected and safe we really are when we choose to surrender ourself to Him.
We comprehend how this greatness, power, and omniscience surrounds us and protects us, even in life’s most dire situations.
We live with an unshakeable conviction in His promise that He will somehow, some way, work out even the most negative and devastating situations for our good.
And this conviction releases us of every need to manipulate and control circumstances to our own benefit; because we realize that all our efforts are amateur at best in comparison to God’s divine ability.
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint”. Isaiah 40:28-31
“‘Fear not, for I am with you; ne not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’” Isaiah 41:10
“‘For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, “Fear not, I will help you.”‘” Isaiah 41:13
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.” Isaiah 43:1-2
For those who choose to surrender to Almighty God, there are amazing promises in Scripture that fill our heart with peace and comfort; assuring us of His protection, safety, and blessing.
But for those who refuse to come under His subjection, he warns:
“I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images.” Isaiah 42:8
He reminds us that Lord isn’t just what He does, it is who He is.
He is Lord; and whether we acknowledge Him as such or not does not diminish His power and authority any more than refusing to acknowledge the authority of a judge to sentence us to prison in any way diminishes their authority over us.
We see even further warning in Scripture for those who refuse to acknowledge God’s supreme rule an authority.
“…because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” Romans 1:21-25
Paul warns that those who have knowledge of God, but refuse to worship Him and give Him the glory He demands, are eventually given over to futile, idolatrous thinking and an obscured heart.
They will claim to be wise, but will be actually given over to foolishness.
They will distort the image of God by making Him appear more human.
If they persist, He will surrender them to the lusts of their own hearts – so that they will be subjected to the temptations of the flesh — and this only ever ends in destruction.
How big is your God?
Have you been guilty of trying to carve the God of the Bible into a more agreeable, politically correct image that is more tolerant and acceptable to those around you?
Any god we can fashion leaves us defenseless against the enemy’s attacks.
Any god we can fashion leaves us vulnerable to Satan’s temptations.
Any god we can fashion will lead us down this path described by Alexander Pope:
Vice is a monster of so frightful mien
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.
When we surrender ourselves to Almighty God – as we see Him in Scripture; rejecting the temptation to mold and fashion Him into a more acceptable and tolerant being – we are promised freedom, protection, safety, and help.
But most of all, we are promised eternal life.
If you’d like to know more about this eternal life that we are promised when we surrender ourselves to God, please visit these articles. You can also contact me here.
- 3 Important Truths for the Suffering Christian - April 17, 2024
- Study 2 Corinthians With Me - April 9, 2024
- The Fruit of Maturity in the Church - March 20, 2024
