How Big is Your God?

Sometimes, in the stresses and strains of life, we make God too small. Someone said it well at church yesterday: A lot of us, to the question "How big is God?", answer, "A little smaller than we are."

Oh, we don't do it blatantly. Those of us in the church know enough to give religious-sounding reasons for our human-centered answer. But we have trouble envisioning a God who is capable of more than we can envision ... so we limit Him in our minds. Of course, we can't truly limit an omnipotent God ... but we miss so much of Him because we live in the zone of safety instead of the danger and delight of letting go of the reins.

I guess I've been thinking about it today because of a couple of awe-inspiring things going on right now. First, the space shuttle Endeavour started back for earth yesterday (Sunday). It will land on Tuesday, God willing. Now, I don't know how fast the shuttle travels but think of it - that high speed flight and it will still take two days to fly back from space. And the "outer space" it was in is just our little corner of one galaxy ... we haven't even talked about the reaches outside of this galaxy and the "far corners" of the universe where we talk in light-years rather than days.

Second, Hurricane Dean, a Category 5 storm, is the size of Texas. Texas. I'm from Texas. It takes a whole day to drive across the state! And yet, God controls the wind - even the wind from Dean - and upholds the earth it passes over by the word of His power.

No wonder Job said "Behold, these are the fringes of His ways; And how faint a word we hear of Him!" (Job 26:14). The incredible awesome things we see in creation, the wonder of it all - that is only the fringes of God's ways.

And to think we make Him so small. He is bigger than we ever dreamed. What situation has you overwhelmed tonight? Ask God to come in and be BIG.

He stretches out the north over empty space And hangs the earth on nothing. He wraps up the waters in His clouds, And the cloud does not burst under them. He obscures the face of the full moon And spreads His cloud over it. He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters At the boundary of light and darkness. The pillars of heaven tremble And are amazed at His rebuke. He quieted the sea with His power, And by His understanding He shattered Rahab. By His breath the heavens are cleared; His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent. Behold, these are the fringes of His ways; And how faint a word we hear of Him! But His mighty thunder, who can understand?

Job 26:7-14