What Is God Like?
He leads me …
When we think about God, how do we imagine Him?
There is no simple description which completely summaries what God is like. The problem is that we cannot see Him and a lot of what He does, from the planets in the universe to the atoms and molecules that make up physical things is totally beyond what we can understand. However, as we spend time reading the Bible we find out about His love, compassion, grace, mercy, power and creativity. God is holy – perfect and faultless.
God is all-seeing and all-knowing. It is not possible hide from Him. He also knows our thoughts. As an example in Psalm 139 we read - ‘You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do’ (verse 3 NLT)… ‘You know what I am going to say even before I say it (verse 4 NLT)… ‘You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb’ (verse 13 NLT)... ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart’ (verse 23 NLT)… God does not need our praise about these insights, but these interactions are important to Him and give Him pleasure.[1]
If we are not convinced that God really does these things, we would do well to read what the Lord says in Job 38 – 41. Gods comments come after Job and some of his colleagues have been debating why he had all his wealth taken away and was then reduced to just skin and bones. As he put it, ‘I have no peace, no quietness. I have no rest; only trouble comes.’ (Job 3:26 NLT)
During the debate with his colleagues, Job also called out to God wanting answers for why he has been dishonoured to such an extent. Then in chapter 38 the Lord answered Job from a whirlwind and asks 70 questions that He wants Job to answer. The following list is a few of the questions.
· Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
· Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line?
· What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone?
· Who kept the sea inside its boundaries as it burst from the womb?
· Have you ever commanded the morning to appear and caused the dawn to rise in the east?
· Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth, to bring an end to the night’s wickedness?
· Have you explored the springs from which the seas come?
· Have you explored their depths?
· Do you know where the gates of death are located?
· Have you seen the gates of utter gloom?
· Can you direct the movement of the stars—binding the cluster of the Pleiades or loosening the cords of Orion?
· Do you know the laws of the universe?
· Can you use them to regulate the earth?
· Who gives intuition to the heart and instinct to the mind?
We see quite quickly that God was asking questions that only He can answer. We can also see that God’s power, knowledge and ability are so far above anything that man can do that we are not able to successfully argue against Him.
As adults we can see a parallel with adult and child interaction. Young toddlers can be very persistent by continuing to ask questions about the world around them. Psychologists tell us that when parents are responsive to the ongoing stream of ‘why’ questions they are most likely helping to shape their child’s development and prepare them for long term success.[2]
As Christians we too have our ‘why’ questions. Like Job we can try and make sense of what is happening around us. Most of us have asked God, ‘Why didn’t You stop … from happening?’ ‘Why did … happen?’ ‘Did … really have to die?’ Lord, haven’t I got enough patience?’ Even Jesus had questions, like ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ God may not answer our questions but they are not pointless.
Our questions are important to God. They enable Him to see what is important to us and whether we are on track according to His plan for our life. The Bible has many accounts of hurting people seeking answers from God but not getting a satisfactory response. If we look at the Psalms we see that David was often broken when he cried out many painful and personal questions to God. But even when there were no clear answers, his faith in God was strong even if he did not know the answers. Like David, we can pour out my heart to God, and doing this will enable us to process in our own minds what we are going through.
We can find an answer by looking to Him through His promises. If we believe His promises when we face our difficulties we will find that they give us hope. For example, we can soon see that God has everything under control when we read – ‘For I know the plans I have for you’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’ (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT).
With promises like this we find that we can trust God – even with unanswered prayers in times of difficulty because our Heavenly Father is working in both our present and our future as well as providing us with hope. When we actually experience the promises in action during difficult situations, we know that the Lord keeps His promises. Then our hope and faith in Him increase accordingly.
Like Job we may not get the answer from God that satisfies us. What we should do is to trust the One who has control of all creation, and to keep doing what He wants us to do to reach the right outcome at the right time – even if we do not understand why. Whether we like it or not, God has His own way of managing His creation and as Job found out, God is not required to provide mankind with all the answers.
When we read Job 38 – 41 we can see that God has a real joy and pride in what He created. At the end of chapter 41 God tells Job that the Leviathan makes the water boil with its commotion, and it stirs the depths like a pot of ointment. Nothing on earth is its equal, and no other creature is so fearless. In fact God says that of all the creatures, it is the proudest and it is the king of beasts.
We can learn from all the animals that God has created. Like the Leviathan, God loves and enjoys His animal creation. Why? Because ‘creation praises God by its very existence, by being what God designed it to be.’[3] We do not need much time to look around where we live to see how creation shouts out and proclaims that ‘God is the incredible Creator and LORD of this world’. Consider the peacefulness of a quiet waterway, or the beautiful form of a flower. We see that creation is revealing and effectively praising God just by simply being.
Let our worship of God be more than what we do on Sunday. Let it be in all we achieve as we fulfil all that He created us to be.
Dear Reader – If you have found some value in this blog, please feel free to send a copy on to your family and friends. Kind regards, John
[1] What is God like? Christian Enquiry Agency;
https://christianity.org.uk/article/what-is-god-like
[2] If Your Kid Keeps Asking ‘Why,’ Give Them an Answer, Neha Chaudhary, New York Times;
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/parenting/kids-asking-questions-development.html
[3] How Does Creation Worship God? Valerie Comer, valeriecomer.com;