How Big Is Your God?

Our thoughts of God are too small. Left to ourselves, we tend to reduce God to manageable terms. We tend to think of him as a lot like us on our best days or the nicest person we know. We want a god we can use and control. We want a God who doesn’t alter our plans, who will allow us to meet with him in ways that don’t demand changes to our lives. We want a god who stays out of our business. But that is not the God of the Bible.

How big is your God? Theologians use the term “transcendence” to describe the enormity of God.

After Solomon built the temple for God in Jerusalem, he asked an important question. “Will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27) God agreed with him. “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? (Isaiah 66:1) God cannot be contained by any space, no matter how large. God does not have size or spatial dimensions. He was transcendent before the temple opened and after it was destroyed 400 years later.

That leaves us wondering, “Is God so big that he is inaccessible?” But the next verse, Isaiah 66:2, tells us who gets access to the nearness of God. “But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” That is what theologians call the imminence of God. God wants to be known on earth as he is in Heaven.

Do you sense the nearness of God today? If not, you can. But first, you have to lose any sense of your big-dealness. He draws near to those who humbly draw near to him. He is instantly and intimately accessible to anyone who acknowledges their need. As big as God is, he loves to draw near little people. He is no longer interested in filling ancient buildings in ancient cities. Now, God makes himself known by filling broken people, not elaborate places.

If you are facing big problems today, turn your attention to the size of your God. You will find that the bigger your view of God, the smaller your view of your problems. God is ready to draw near those who draw near to him.