Glimpses

We only see glimpses.

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. Psalm 145:3 NIV.

 

When I consider the majesty and power of God, I am struck by how much He must restrain Himself. And by how much of the Bible must be given to understatement.

God merely spoke and all the creative beauty of the natural world materialized. Amazing–the earth in all its vast diversity and complexity formed out of nothing but the breath of God. And the earth is only a speck within the Milky Way galaxy, which in turn is just one of many galaxies. No one knows how far the universe actually extends. What we know about creation is astounding, and so much of what we know is clothed in mystery. With each new discovery about life and our world, it becomes even more apparent there is much we still don’t know.

There aren’t enough superlatives to describe God accurately. Those who try, eventually get to words like “indescribable,” “unsearchable” or “ incomprehensible.” Even the biblical writers acknowledged they didn’t have the words to explain Him fully. The apostle John closed his gospel by saying that if all the things Jesus did were written down, the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written John 21:25 NIV. Francis Chan has observed what a comfort it is to worship “a God we cannot exaggerate.”

Job shows his astonishment over God’s power. He spreads out the skies and suspends the earth over nothing. Job stated that the things we can see are just the outer fringes of what God is able to do (Job 26). With all the knowledge we have about God and what He has done, we are only aware of the faintest glimmer of what He is capable.

He could overwhelm us with who He is and what He can do. Instead, He gives us glimpses. He restrains Himself. God could have come into the world in all His majesty, surrounded by an army of angels. That time will come. There will be no doubters then. In the meantime, He came as a baby, and walked the earth as man. He has left us with signs of His creative power.

His fingerprints are everywhere. If we are paying attention, we can see Him in the spectacular sunsets He paints. It is His doing when circumstances and timing work out perfectly. Only God is responsible for the miracle of birth–or the miracle of changed hearts.

He reveals Himself slowly. He gives us hints. When we respond with faith, it pleases Him (Hebrews 11:6). But really, the glimpses, the hints, the whispers give us so much evidence for who He is, it is baffling how anyone misses it. When we truly see Him in all His splendor and majesty and power, no wonder every knee will bow in awe and worship.

And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power? Job 26:14 NIV

 

What do you think about the wonder of God’s creation? Please leave a comment below.

Blessings,
Phyllis

Image by Michael Schwarzenberger from Pixabay

Copyright 2023 Phyllis L. Farringer