God is big. He is so big that:
- He measured the waters of Earth in the palm of His hand (Isa. 40:12).
- He marked off the skies with the distance between His thumb and little finger (Isa. 40:12).
- He made doors to shut in the oceans (Job 38:8).
- He holds the stars in His hand (Rev. 1:20).
How big would God really be if I could control Him like a puppet on a string?
Yep, God is big and yet, in the Bible what we know about Him is just "the outskirts of his ways" (Job 26:14). We can't even scratch the surface of understanding just how big He really is this side of heaven. Maybe that's why I tend to treat Him like He's small. I reduce His power and His love to something tiny and insignificant. Or, more often, I think I'm the big deal around here. Then things tend to get really out of whack. With that pattern in mind, I thought I'd hammer out four ways to know when our concept of God is too small.
#1: We Think His Grace Has a Shut-Off Valve
Hebrews 10 is a powerful passage of Scripture that unpacks the significance of Christ's death for our sin. Here's a snapshot.
"And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (v. 10). "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more" (v. 17).
Jesus' death covers our sin once for all. Because of His sacrifice, our record of sin, no matter how long, is wiped clean and remembered no more. It's over. Your sin has been forgiven. I often get the sin:God ratio wrong. I think my sin is bigger than God is. Or I think God is too small to really deal with my sin problem. That's why these are sermons I must preach to myself often:
- You are not the one person in all of humanity that the cross does not apply to.
- This is not the sin that will push you out of the column of "forgiven" and into the column of "condemned" in God's ledger.
- Jesus did not have to hang on the cross any longer for you. His sacrifice covers your sin.
The facts are that a very big God made a huge sacrifice to cover my massive sin problem. When I doubt His forgiveness or worry that it will somehow run out, I forget how big He is.
#2 We Think He Can't Handle This One
"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19).
God will supply every need. Don't you just love that promise? It's a verse that looks so good on a Pinterest image, but when the rubber meets the road, I sometimes find it kind of hard to believe? Anyone else floating in that same boat?
- What about this broken relationship? Can God really bring reconciliation?
- What about this illness? Will God really bring healing?
- What about this hurt? Will God really mend it?
- What about this sin? Will God really give me freedom?
- What about this situation? Will God really intervene?
When the need looks really big, I tend to worry that God is too small to meet it. I'm grateful that this is not what the Bible teaches or what I have experienced over and over again. God truly is able to meet every need.
#3 We Treat Him Like Our Personal Genie
Meeting my every need is not the same as answering every prayer exactly the way I want Him to, but sometimes I sure wish it was.
Meeting my every need is not the same as God answering every prayer exactly the way I want.
I have been praying my heart out for something for more than a year, and so far, nothing seems to be happening. Sometimes, in moments of frustration, I want to scream at God, "Aren't You big enough to handle this?" But how big would He really be if I could control Him like a puppet on a string? It's because God is so big that He is the only One with a right perspective on how things should go. After all, He is the beginning and end (Rev. 22:13). He is the immortal king of the ages (1 Tim. 1:17). His ways are higher than our ways, just like the sky is higher than the earth (Isa. 55:8–9). It's like I have an extreme close-up view of my life. I can only see the image all pixely and squished together. But God can see the bigger picture. When He does not answer prayers the way I want Him to, it is because He is so big, not because He is too small.
#4 We Live Like We Are on the Throne
This is one of my favorite passages in all of Scripture. (I know I say that a lot, but I really, really mean it with this one!)
"And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, 'Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!' And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 'Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things and by your will they existed and were created'" (Rev. 4:6–11).
This describes the throne room of God. Everyone in the room is struck with total awe at His power, majesty, and well . . . bigness! But here are some questions we must ask after peeking into the throne room . . .
- Where am I discussed in this passage?
- Where is my throne?
- Where is my crown?
- Who is worshiping me?
We aren't in the throne room. We are not the center of attention. Yes, we are daughters of the King, but these verses clearly show that God is the One who is really on the throne. When we catch a glimpse of how big God really is and how small we are in comparison, we should respond with humility. Our focus should shift from an all-about-me mentality to a focus that is all about the King. A big response to a big God
How should we respond to this huge God? We should worship!
God is big. He is infinite. He is eternal. All of life begins and ends with Him. This is the bottom line, even when our hearts tell us otherwise. So, how should we respond to this huge God? We should worship! Would you do that right now by leaving a comment about how you've seen the bigness of God on display?