How great is your God? Do you ever stop to think about how great God is? An alternate reading for this day is Genesis 1. God created the earth. It’s a huge thing, our earth. I’ve not been to the mountains very many times. But each time I’ve seen mountains, I’m sure my mouth hangs open. They are so amazing. They are so huge. When driving toward the mountains they seem much closer than they are. The huge size makes them seem close. Then the closer one gets, the larger they appear. And then driving up the mountain seems like a forever trip. Will my car make it to the top? You have to wonder how hard it must have been for the those adventurers who came in the days when one had to walk to get past the mountains. How about the view from the top? You can see for miles.

     God created these mountains. They are huge, they are firm, they cannot be moved. God is so great, that He could make these mountains. We have a great God. But God did not only make the mountains. He made the whole world. I’ve never been around the world. I’ve flown to Japan and Hong Kong. That was amazing. Probably not quite half way around the world. I’ve never been even to the southern hemisphere. This earth is a huge place. I’ll probably never see lots of this huge earth. And God made it all. Now consider how large the earth is compared to the sun. If this red ball represents the size of the sun, the earth would be the size of this tiny little ball. The sun is approximately 109 times as large as the earth. It’s humongous! And God made that, too. Our sun is just one of many, many stars. The universe is so huge. We measure in terms of light years, how many years it takes light to travel from one spot to another, the distance from earth to other celestial bodies. Light is so fast, but it takes years for light to get there. It’s amazing how huge our universe is. And God made it all. God is so great.

     But sometimes we think God isn’t big enough for us. Sometimes we wonder if our needs will be met. Do you think God is big enough to meet your needs? Well we don’t usually put it that way. We don’t so much think that God is not big enough to do it, we just worry about how we’ll be taken care of. We wonder if there’ll be enough income for us to live on, just like the Israelites.  The Israelites saw God use His powerful hand and outstretched arm to bring them out of Egypt. But then they worried about having enough food to eat. They saw God’s power in Egypt. They saw God’s power at the mountain, when God came down to the top of the mountain to meet Moses. To the people it looked like a great fire on the top of the mountain. What an awesome sight that must have been. Moses was reminding them of those things. He was trying to tell them to rely on God. He has the power to care for you.

     It’s a good reminder for us, too. We think God is smaller than He is. God is huge. His power is enormous—beyond our imagination. His wisdom is perfect. His love for you never ends. God is big enough to care for your needs.

     Do you think God is big enough to take care of your problems? Well, when you put it that way, surely we would agree that God is big enough. But the way we often think about it is that we don’t really need God’s help. We’re big enough to take care of ourselves. A child growing up likes to think, “I can do it myself.” Certainly adults like to think, “I can do it myself!” I am strong enough to care for my needs. I can stand up to sin all by myself. I don’t need God’s help. “I can do it myself!” We think ourselves larger than we are, stronger than we are. We are in need of God and His power.

     Just take our temptation to sin. How many times do you fall for the same or similar temptation? We could ask God for strength to resist a temptation when it comes, and God would empower us to stand up to the temptation. But when we think we’re strong enough on our own, we’re in a vulnerable position. Physically, we’re not even a visible speck on this little ball of earth. Spiritually, our strength is likewise very small. But God’s power is a great as the universe which He created.

     While we are tiny, God is so huge. His love for you is so large. You know God made every one of us. God made you. Why did He make you? Because He wanted you. You were loved even before you were created. God’s love for you is so large. You can see that in the sacrifice Jesus made for you. His sacrifice is huge. He gives His life. He suffers what we would have suffered in Hell. His sacrifice is huge. The forgiveness we receive from His sacrifice is also huge. Our sins are removed totally, completely. We are made to be holy. We are brought back into the presence of God. We receive great joy. That is huge!

     Guess what. The God who has shown His love to be so large, also has solutions to every one of our difficulties. God is huge. His solutions are huge. He is big enough to bring you through every crisis, every pain, every sorrow.

     And God, who does things in a big way, doesn’t just barely bring you through. He also blesses you. God is not stingy in blessing. God does not bless just a tiny little bit. He doesn’t measure His blessings out with an eyedropper. He opens the flood gates and showers us, overwhelms us with His blessings. His blessings are full, huge, overwhelming. God blesses you abundantly.

     How should we respond? Do you think our praise should be measured, be careful not to overdo it? Do you think we need to be careful so we don’t praise God so much that He might get a big head? Ridiculous! God could never think too highly of Himself. He’s God. He deserves our huge praise: unbounded, without limits, no holds barred.

     Psalm 150 teaches us how to praise this great God of ours. “Hallelujah. Praise God. Praise God in His holy place. Praise Him in His mighty heavens.” Of course we should praise God in Heaven. As we consider Him in the greatness of His majesty, His immensity, His splendor, we praise Him for who He is.

     “Praise Him for His mighty acts. Praise Him for His immense greatness.” Part of what makes God so great is what God has done. We praise Him for His mighty act of sending Jesus, and paying for our sins. We praise Him for His mighty act of raising Jesus from the dead. We praise Him for bringing us to faith. We praise Him for providing our needs. Praise Him for His mighty acts. We praise Him for bringing us to Heaven. It’s a done deal. All who hold on to their faith will go to heaven. So we praise Him now also for that powerful deed.

     How should we praise Him? “Praise Him with sounds from horns. Praise Him with harps and lyres. Praise Him with tambourines and dancing. Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes. Praise Him with loud cymbals. Praise Him with crashing cymbals.” Let your praise be huge! Praise Him with dancing! Praise Him with crashing cymbals. Don’t let your praise be puny. “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”

May 22, 2005

How Great

Is Your God?

Scripture references: Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40, Psalms 8, 150

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