Who is like Him?

"Let the name of the LORD be praised,

both now and forevermore.

From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,

the name of the LORD is to be praised."

Psalm 113:2-3

I love illustrations that help to teach a lesson or reveal a truth.  I can always understand something more when I can tangibly touch or visually see something that is similar to it.  Maybe that's why math is so hard; it's not concrete but more conceptual.

This is where my faith comes in when trusting in God. I cannot fully understand Him, His motivations, His ways, His character (Psalm 145:3, Psalm 139:6).  I know He is great, I know His character is holy, I know He is sovereign, I know there is nothing but good that comes from Him, but I am unable to fully know Him. 

While His Spirit does reveal Him to me on a very intimate level (1 Corinthians 2:10-12), It's hard to fathom the full nature of God because there's nothing by which to compare Him.

There is none like Him.

High.  He is so high He must figuratively stoop down to take a look at the heavens and earth (Psalm 113:6).  He is on the throne, reigning over all things in glory and majesty with all authority (Psalm 47:8).  He rules His creation with all power and control; nothing happens apart from His direction or permission and is all directed according to His good plan (Ephesians 1:11).  Furthermore, His glory, the indescribable beauty of His spirit, is unsurpassed, so much so that it fills the earth (Isaiah 6:3).

Such a God whose ways are higher than mine and thoughts are in the stratosphere, cannot be fully understood.  If my complete comprehension of Him were possible, He would not be much of a god, would He?  A 100% knowable-to-my-limited-mind god would be a wimpy god indeed.

I praise such a God who reigns on High yet comes down low to dwell within me.

Equal.  He has a squad of men who are ready to give their lives in his protection.  Because of his position as leader of the most powerful nation on earth, his live is deemed as so important that in times of crisis or disaster, there are special provisions in place to preserve his life.  Since the President of the United States plays such a significant role, it seems his life is more important than mine.  

In man's way of thinking, there is a ranking system.  Some are more important than others, essential to the working of things, key players in the game of life.  But to God, each of us are as valuable as the other.  It doesn't matter, whether poor or rich, unemployed or entrusted with vital work, young or old; God sees each of us as His treasured image-bearer (Psalm 113:7-8).

I praise such a God who looks beyond my position in this world and views me as royalty.

Fertility.  God is a God of fertility, and I don't just mean opening the womb to bless with children.  He is a lavish, generous God who gives so much more than we deserve.  

He has a way of reversing a hopeless situation, granting me a positive expectation for the future where there should be none.  He also is able to give abundance out of complete nothingness, turning a dead-end situation into a beautiful entrance into the promised land.  This rich God of fruitfulness can fulfill the desires of His children's heart in ways I will never be able to comprehend (Psalm 37:4).

I praise such a God who extends fertility to me in so many ways.

There is none like this God who blows my mind with His impressive ways, beautiful character trait of equally valuing each of His children and is lavish in so many respects.  This is a God who is not like anything I've ever seen and to Him I will give my praises, for who is like Him?

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can open up my mind to the unfathomable character of God.

How do I limit God in His magnificence?

When do I doubt He will help me, thinking I'm not important enough for the God of all things to pay attention to?        

In honor of Wednesday's 800th post on 

Writings on the Doorframe, 

I am offering free signed copies of my book: 

If you would like to be entered in the drawing, 

please email me at boosehome@aol.com 
or message me at the end of this post 

by the end of the day on Sunday, March 22nd.  

Winners will be announced on 

Monday, March 23, 2015!

Cannot be Contained

"But who is able to build a temple for him,

since the heavens,

even the highest heavens,

cannot contain him?

Who then am I to build a temple for him,

except as a place to burn sacrifices before him?"

2 Chronicles 2:6

It burns out of control, fed by the dry grasses and timber, licked up like so much kindling for a campfire.  Before anyone realized it, the fire was threatening thousands of homes, sending many to run for shelter as they grabbed what little they could save from the impending inferno.  Soon, firefighters arrive from all over the region, working together to try to contain what seems impossible to bring under their control.  They work night and day suppressing flames, building fire lines, putting out flames and hot spots, all in an effort to stop the out-of-control destruction.

As difficult as it is to try to contain a wildfire known for changing directions without warning, jumping roads or rivers and gobbling up massive areas of vegetation, it's even more ridiculous to think about containing God.  It seems a bit silly to build a dwelling place for One who cannot be measured, who is above all things, and is greater than all of creation.  How could such magnificence be contained?  

Yet, I try to do so without even realizing it.

Plan.  20-year plan.  Retirement plan.  Career track.  Humans love to make plans.  As much as I desire to know what I can expect in the next few years, only God knows what He has in store for me.  He is the One who holds the blueprint for my life and since His ways are better and more complex than what I could ever hope to generate, I must trust Him to bring about His purposes in the details of my life without expecting to understand the entire scope of His plan (Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 40:5, Isaiah 55:8-9).

Still, I love to try to figure out how God is going to work out a certain situation, or through what channels He will provide, or when He will come through.  In these ways, I limit God's plan to what I can understand or agree with.  Instead, it is better if I let God be God, giving Him free reign to do as He sees fit.

I attempt to contain my magnificent God when I limit His plan in my expectations of Him.

Presence.  For treasure hunters, there are many places to hunt for valuables.  Some of the most unusual include in a hollowed-out shingle on the roof of an old house, in a false bottom fashioned at the base of a livestock feed bin, between sheets of shelf paper in a kitchen cabinet or inside of a bicycle tire.

While I don't personally look for such fortune hidden in such surprising places, it does remind me of a characteristic of God.  There is nowhere I can go where He cannot be found.  While I wouldn't expect to find Him in a seedy motel, a strip club, or on a dark street corner where drug deals regularly take place, He is there.  Darkness is as light to Him (Psalm 139:7-12).

Thus, there is no place that is off-limits to God, no hurt in my heart which He does not see, no shame which drives Him away.  

I attempt to contain my magnificent God when I assume I can hide or conceal my heart from Him.

Power.  A change of heart.  Cancer cells shrinking.  The sun standing still in the sky.  There are some things I don't expect to see.  After living in the world for nearly 50 years, I know how things usually work and while I may imagine fantastical happenings, I don't really think I will see them come to pass.  I like to think I have my feet firmly rooted in reality.

Unfortunately for me, God does not work within the limits of my definition of reality.  He is free to accomplish whatever He desires; winning over the heart of an atheist, healing the terminally ill or bringing about that which defies the laws of nature.  God's power is unlimited.

Why, then, do I expect so little from Him?  Instead of asking for healing I settle for what man's inferior efforts can supply.  In the place of tapping into the power He's given me to forgive I harbor a grudge and grow angry and resentful, trying to mask the root of bitterness with my own efforts toward civility.  While I could allow His compassion to flow through me to the unlovable, I opt to avoid their difficult personalities in an effort to shield my life from discomfort. 

I attempt to contain my magnificent God when I bind His power with the bands of rational reality.

In the same way that it seems ridiculous to build a building that could contain God, I often limit His magnificence without even knowing it.  I restrict His plan for me to what makes sense to my human mind or by what I feel comfortable with.  Even more silly are my efforts to hide my self, thoughts or heart from God.  Finally, I end up crippling the Lord's work in my life when I label some acts as impossible or off-limits to Him.  In these ways I attempt to restrain a God that cannot be contained.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can stop trying to put God in the neat little box I have constructed out of ignorance and fear.

When do I expect very little from God?

How do I limit God's power in my life?