5 “So to whom will you compare me, the Incomparable? Can you picture me without reducing me?”
Isaiah 46:5 (MSG)
I LOVE this translation! Picture Him without reducing Him. That is a feat NONE of us will ever be able to do! At least, not here on earth.
I was actually thinking the other day, “Wow. Because of all this stuff that’s happened, I am really starting to KNOW you.”
And it wasn’t like I was bragging, just noticing the difference between “before turmoil” and “after turmoil.” But in the very next moment, I began to sense that I would NEVER really know Him on this side of heaven. We all get glimpses, but that’s it.
We are so limited in our human minds and in our human experiences, that we can’t even fathom a God who is Incomparable! “Great” is a word that is fitting to describe humans ( the really “good” ones!)-not a word that describes who God is. But that’s kind of all we’ve got. It makes me a little sad that I can’t even adequately praise Him for His character, because we don’t have words for it, and because I have NO IDEA how amazing God is!!
When we use words to describe God that we also use to describe admirable people, it messes with our heads a little bit. I think sometimes it permits us to think of God as being comparable to people in some way. And He is NOTHING like the very best person who ever lived. He eats THAT person for breakfast! Well, not literally. 🙂
His love, His grace, His mercy, His wisdom, His holiness, His power, are truly limitless! That is probably the best word we have to describe Him.
Limitless.
Sometimes I wish He’d give me eyes to see how far and wide and deep His love, grace, mercy wisdom, holiness, and power truly goes. Because then, I think it would be easier to believe in His ability to do ANYTHING.
But that isn’t what He wants. He doesn’t want easy faith. He just wants us to trust that He is as vast as He says He is!
1 Corinthians 13 :11 says it better than I can:
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
I can’t wait for the day that my eyes can finally SEE Him. There will be no more guessing or supposing about who He is. I will KNOW! And that thought is what’s gonna keep me going for as long as necessary.
Well, it took the hand of God Almighty
To part the waters of the sea
But it only took one little lie
To separate you and me
Oh, we are not as strong as we think we are
And they say that one day Joshua
Made the sun stand still in the sky
But I can’t even keep these thoughts
Of you from passing by
Oh, we are not as strong as we think we are
CHORUS
We are frail
We are fearfully and wonderfully made
Forged in the fires of human passion
Choking on the fumes of selfish rage
And with these our hells and our heavens
So few inches apart
We must be awfully small
And not as strong as we think we are
And the Master said their faith was
Gonna make them mountains move
But me, I tremble like a hill on a fault line
Just at the thought of how I lost you
Oh, we are not as strong as we think we are
CHORUS
And if you make me laugh well I know
I could make you like me
Cause when I laugh I can be a lot of fun
But we can’t do that I know that it is frightening
What I don’t know is why we can’t hold on
We can’t hold on
CHORUS
When you love you walk on the water
Just don’t stumble on the waves
We all want to go there somethin’ awful
But to stand there it takes some grace
‘Cause oh, we are not as strong
As we think we are
Rich Mullins.
I was meant to read this today. I love the line when you say, “He eats them up”…not literally of course. I sometimes put God in a box. He is amazing and great. I truly can’t fathom Him with my human mind.
Thank for sharing and I am pinning on pinterest. 🙂
I am so glad you brought that to my attention! I haven’t read my MSG in a while and that scripture is a reason why I love it. Just jumps off the page to you!