Character of God

So..... I recently stated The Boundless Summer Challenge.  Each day, they post a task that will challenge the participants to dig deeper and grow, with a focus this summer on relationships.

Today's task:  Looking at the character of God

Isaiah 40:25 says.... “To whom will you compare me?   Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. 

Now, instinctively when I close my eyes and think of God,  I see my Daddy as:

§  pure/unselfish love

§  strengh = massive arms, broad sholders, thick fingers, and massive feet in sandals popping out from under a blinding white robe

§  forgiveness - truly forgiving and FORGETING as my bloody hands are washed white and clean

§  singing over me with a voice more beautiful than Josh Groban, Charlotte Church, or Hayley Westenra

§  hugging me and lifting me up in his arms effortlessly, holding me close so I can feel his heart beating and his chest raising and falling as he breathes in and out, comforting me

§  cradling me in his wings and feeling completely safe as I sit  in the shadow of his wings

§  speaking softly, whispering that he loves me

§  shouting loudly that he loves me!

§  carrying me as I weep from pain

§  a jealous God who wants to be with me every second

§  unselfishness to the utmost degree (sending his son)

§  counting the number of hairs on my head

§  his hands crafting my body together like a potter working with clay and then smiling with delight at the finished product

§  holding back and throwing off the world when it gets to be too much............... like in this video!!! So Good!!!! ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_M33GcJAmU  )

But God is so much more than that! Even after reading Isaiah 40:25, I can see how I envision God with all these humanly characteristics, putting in a box and placing limits on a limitless, boxless God! I mean in reality, God in all his Glory can't be contained in the universe that I can't fathom, let alone a gigantic box.

Although I don't fully (or even partially) understand all the characteristics of my amazing Father, today's task challenged me to look through Isaiah 40 for the characteristics of God that I've been missing/forgetting.

After several read-throughs, this is the list I got:

§  Comforter to all (v.1)

§  a tender voice (v.2)

§  gracious and giving (v.2)

§  forgiving (v.2)

§  one to be glorified by all things, including the land (v.5)

§  ultimate control (breath of God) (v.7)

§  Never ending wisdom (v.8)

§  Sovereign (v.10)

§  powerful, mighty arms (v. 10)

§  Sheppard to his flock (v.11)

§  carries  in his arms, close to his heart (v.11)

§  gentle leader (v.11)

§  creator and controller of everything in the world (v.12)

§  unfathomable (v.13)

§  unteachable (v. 14)

§  untaught, unenlightened genious beyond comparison (v. 14)

§  does not need us (v. 15-17)

§  incomparable (v. 18-20)

§  enthroned above the circle of earth (v. 22)

§  builder of the heavens (v.22)

§  the sower and the reaper (v. 24)

§  unforgetful, mighty and powerful (v. 26)

§  everlasting, creator of the ends of the earth (v.28)

§  one that does not grow weary or tired EVER (v. 28)

§  understanding beyond what we can fathom (v. 28)

§  giver of strength and power (v. 29)

§  renewer of strength (v. 31)

It's crazy how many times I have read this chapter and never noticed some of these characteristics.  Of the ones I listed, I think I often over look the bolded bullet points and as part of today’s task, I wanted to look at why.

First, God is in ultimate control.  Sometimes I try to take this control myself only to fall on my face and be picked back up in His loving arms and realize that He was in complete control the whole time.  Even when I made my list of how I saw God, I left out that He is, always has been and always will be in control, clearly showing how I often leave out this vital characteristic in my mind.

Next, verses 14-17 really just spoke to me about how truly all knowing God is.  There is nothing I can teach Him.  He simply IS the all-knowing teacher.  This is another point I forgot because I have been stubborn.  At times , I have convinced myself that God messed up and I need to teach Him how to do His job, or how life should really be going.  I have dishonored Him and judged His actions as wrong when I know nothing in comparison to Him.  I have believed that the “world revolves around me” when in reality, I am not even a “drop in the bucket” (BUT I am a loved not-even-a-drop-in-the-bucket!)  God does not NEED me, but he chose me anyways and He delights in me.

My Daddy is also incomparable.  Verses 18 through 20 clearly state that nothing can be compared to Him.  Idols, no matter their material or craftsmanship are nothing compared to God.  I often find myself forgetting this though.  No, I do not have a Baal statue in my house, but I have had idols.  I have “worshiped” the sound of my own voice when I should have been listening to God.  I have “worshiped” food, gorging myself with crap that will not fill me.  I have turned to people and activities instead of God because I somehow thought that my problems were too big (or too small) for Him in essence making these things the rulers of my life instead of God.  This is something I am not proud of and I suspect that is why I initially left this characteristic out of my list.

Isaiah 40 also talks about how God is the sower and the reaper.  While I often think of God as the creator, I tend to forget that He has control of every stage of this earth.  This goes back to the first point I talked about and how I try don’t always see God as having ultimate control. ( As this seems to be a reoccurring theme, I really need to work on this!)

In verse 26, it talks about how God calls out the stars in the sky, remembering them all.  That is because God is not forgetful.  I often find myself thinking that God must have somehow forgotten about me because I hurt but really, it is me that forgets.  How often have I received bad news and only after exhausting all the other options, finally turn to God in prayer when I should have turned to Him first?  Too many times to count.   I have forgotten His promises, I have forgotten my identity in Christ, I have forgotten to turn to Him, but my Daddy has never forgotten me.

Last of all, the bottom 4 verses truly reveal a part of God that I have overlooked.  In verse 28 it says He does not grow weary or tired.  In my mind however, I always picture God as a man, a person that needs a break, needs sleep, and a time to renew His strength, BUT HE DOESN’T!  He doesn’t miss anything.  Good, Bad, Ugly, Beautiful…. He sees it all.  His understanding is beyond what we can fathom and because of that, I think we often fall back to these human views of God because we lack this understanding.  We can’t see His plan.   Last of all, verses 29-31 talk about how God is a GIVER of strength and power.  After finally starting to understand how perfect and never-ending His strength is, THIS IS JUST AMAZING!   In order to give something, you must have it, so that means He’s giving His strength and His power. AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you God  for your strength “to soar on wings like eagles” even when I epically fail to remember where my strength comes from  <3  I love the pieces of you that I have begun to understand and I pray Lord that you would show me more of who you are so that I can be more like you in my relationships here on earth and grow in my relationship with you.