Have You Contemplated the Greatness of God?
I suspect that each one of us spends too little time contemplating the greatness of God. It's only natural, after all, to lose sight of God's majestic power and unsurpassed wisdom. We tend to get wrapped up in our own little world and our limited understanding of what is going on around us.
With that in mind, I love the question the Lord presented through the prophet Jeremiah: "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" (Jeremiah 32:27)
Well, is there? Can you name something too hard for God to pull off?
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And then consider what the Lord said through the prophet Isaiah:
"This is what the Lord says — Israel's King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come — yes, let him foretell what will come." (Isaiah 44:6,7)
Well? Are any other gods capable of foretelling the future? And can even one other god rightly claim to be the "first" and the "last" like the Lord Almighty? If so, let this other god speak up and present himself before us. Where is he? Where is a god who is able to contend with the Lord of Hosts? Where is a god whose armies can compete with God's armies, and whose power can match the power of Jehovah?
The Lord went on to say: "You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one." (Isaiah 44:8)
And if God does not know of any such competition for His throne, then I assure you there is none.
Nehemiah proclaimed: "You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you." (Nehemiah 9:6)
The word "great" gets thrown around rather loosely these days. I am certainly guilty of using that word way too often, and I suspect you may be as well. But when it comes to God, you can never use the word "great" too often.
David exclaimed, "Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom." (Psalm 145:3)
In other words, it is beyond our ability to fully comprehend the height and depth of God's greatness.
No wonder David offered this prayer: "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all." (1 Chron. 29:11)
So has your soul been soaring lately by celebrating the greatness of God, or have you found yourself getting bogged down by the heavy load of your current challenges? We all tend to lose sight of God's greatness, especially when we fail to express appreciation for the wonderful things God has done.
Every believer in Jesus can relate to the words of Mary, who said, "The Mighty One has done great things for me — holy is His name." (Luke 1:49)
You see, God has not only done great things for the world; He has also done great things for me personally. This is the prevailing testimony of Christians. Nothing in all the world can compare to what God has done for us.
After all, who but the Lord has redeemed your soul for eternity? Who other than Christ has died on the cross to pay for your sins, and then risen from the dead on the third day? Is there another god who can compare to the Lord of heaven and earth? Obviously not. And yet you wouldn't know it by the way we sometimes live with our head in the sand, and our heart in the throes of our fleeting moods and fragile emotions.
With the psalmist we must make the choice to rejoice, and we must speak a word of correction to our own soul.
"Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God." (Psalm 42:5)
If you have been distracted recently from concentrating on God, then now is the time to refocus your heart and mind as you return to Scripture, prayer, songs of praise, serving others, and fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ. These spiritual practices are bound to fill your soul with a renewed appreciation of God's greatness, and a revived spirit that spontaneously worships the Lord with gratitude and awe.
Scripture instructs us: "Say to God, 'How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you ... come and see what God has done, how awesome His works in man's behalf!" (Psalm 66:3-5)
And so let us drink in this powerful prescription that brings health to our soul and personal revival on a daily basis: "A cheerful heart is good medicine," (Prov. 17:22) and a wise heart continually celebrates the greatness of God!
