We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God.
A.W. Tozer
A.W. Tozer
For 30 years I had the privilege of being involved with Christian Hockey Camps International; I often gave the talk at the morning chapel times. On one occasion after chapel, one of the campers, a 16 year-old named Danny came to me and very politely said, ‘I really enjoyed the talk this morning but I want you to know the only reason I came to this camp is because my mom wanted me to; I don’t even believe in God’.
I was certain that Danny was looking for a reaction from me. I had heard about a good response to this sort of statement, so I decided to try it on him: Tell me what God you don’t believe in, maybe I don’t believe in him either.
Danny went on to tell me about a perception of God he had picked up from his mother. His was a God with a lot of rules; do's and don'ts; a God who was waiting to "get" him when he messed up; a God who mom only turned to in times of need. For Danny, he concluded that believing in God had something to do with his mother’s God and he didn’t want any part of that.
After we talked for a little while, I said, ‘I'm glad you took to the time to challenge me and I'm glad I listened. And Danny if I thought God was like you described Him, I wouldn't believe in him either, but Danny that’s not the God I know.
In Psalm 8, David as young shepherd boy looked into the expanse of the universe and wrote a poem which reminds us not to limit God to the size of our own understanding or to a set of doctrines we may hold. Looking into the sky with his naked eye, long before Kepler and Galileo, David proclaimed: Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. (Psalm 8:1)
As man has expanded his ability to understand the universe, he has diminished his ability to understand God. When we look into the sky today and know things that David couldn’t even imagine, we should be able to grasp more fully what David already knew, that the One who created such wonder, our God is great and mighty; there is nothing He cannot do!
As David surveyed the fathomless immensity of the heavens, he recognized the handiwork of God, but what really caused his heart to marvel was God’s condescension toward human beings. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him. You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with honour and glory. (Psalm 8:3-5)
It may seem incredible to us that the God of the universe should take any notice of us, let alone care for us, yet He does. He is revealed in Scripture as a God who is caring and compassionate, loving and kind; One who is our refuge and strength. And He has given these funny creatures called human beings a place of honour.
The Bible tells me that the God who created the heavens and the earth, who controls this world, who cares about the smallest detail of my life, who has sent His Son to be our Redeemer, has also given to us His Spirit who walks alongside of us and guides and directs our lives; who gives to us comfort and strength when the path seems long a difficult. He has given us His Word to show us how to live; how to be rightly related to Him, to others and to the world around us. And beyond all this, we have the sure promise of heaven, an eternal hope that is almost beyond comprehension.
We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God.
Tell me what God you don’t believe in, maybe I don’t believe in him either.
Friends lets be sure that God we worship and serve is the God of the Scriptures, the God of David in Psalm 8; our majestic God. For when we see Him as He is, like David we are constrained by His greatness, His glory and majesty to proclaim: Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
I was certain that Danny was looking for a reaction from me. I had heard about a good response to this sort of statement, so I decided to try it on him: Tell me what God you don’t believe in, maybe I don’t believe in him either.
Danny went on to tell me about a perception of God he had picked up from his mother. His was a God with a lot of rules; do's and don'ts; a God who was waiting to "get" him when he messed up; a God who mom only turned to in times of need. For Danny, he concluded that believing in God had something to do with his mother’s God and he didn’t want any part of that.
After we talked for a little while, I said, ‘I'm glad you took to the time to challenge me and I'm glad I listened. And Danny if I thought God was like you described Him, I wouldn't believe in him either, but Danny that’s not the God I know.
In Psalm 8, David as young shepherd boy looked into the expanse of the universe and wrote a poem which reminds us not to limit God to the size of our own understanding or to a set of doctrines we may hold. Looking into the sky with his naked eye, long before Kepler and Galileo, David proclaimed: Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. (Psalm 8:1)
As man has expanded his ability to understand the universe, he has diminished his ability to understand God. When we look into the sky today and know things that David couldn’t even imagine, we should be able to grasp more fully what David already knew, that the One who created such wonder, our God is great and mighty; there is nothing He cannot do!
As David surveyed the fathomless immensity of the heavens, he recognized the handiwork of God, but what really caused his heart to marvel was God’s condescension toward human beings. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him. You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with honour and glory. (Psalm 8:3-5)
It may seem incredible to us that the God of the universe should take any notice of us, let alone care for us, yet He does. He is revealed in Scripture as a God who is caring and compassionate, loving and kind; One who is our refuge and strength. And He has given these funny creatures called human beings a place of honour.
The Bible tells me that the God who created the heavens and the earth, who controls this world, who cares about the smallest detail of my life, who has sent His Son to be our Redeemer, has also given to us His Spirit who walks alongside of us and guides and directs our lives; who gives to us comfort and strength when the path seems long a difficult. He has given us His Word to show us how to live; how to be rightly related to Him, to others and to the world around us. And beyond all this, we have the sure promise of heaven, an eternal hope that is almost beyond comprehension.
We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God.
Tell me what God you don’t believe in, maybe I don’t believe in him either.
Friends lets be sure that God we worship and serve is the God of the Scriptures, the God of David in Psalm 8; our majestic God. For when we see Him as He is, like David we are constrained by His greatness, His glory and majesty to proclaim: Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
RSS Feed