Bigger Than That

Getting a good perspective on God is a healthy approach to life.

In 1 Kings 20 there’s an interesting episode. The king of Aram feels he can beat us the king of Israel and so challenges him only to get a beating. He does a runner and regroups. A year later he decides to have a go again and gets some advice that suggests that the Israelites only won because their God is a god of the hills but not of the plains. Lo and behold they bring the battle to the plains and get a whupping. Why? Because the God of the Israelites is the God of the mountains and the plains, He has no default setting because He is the creator of the universe.

I reckon in some of our views and behaviours we think God is somehow limited. Cultural integration, the reach of the gospel of Jesus Christ beyond our comfort zone, the ability for all members of the Body to be a part of the work, the importance of the Kingdom in every sphere of life. For some reason some of us just cannot comprehend God getting involved in these things and using us to make an impact.

We can believe Him to save a soul, we struggle to believe He can use a mechanic to be an effective witness in the context of his job. We can believe Him to ‘show up’ in a church gathering on a given day at a given time. We struggle to believe that He can show up all the time and at any place. He shows up when you’re making that coffee for your colleagues at work. He shows up when you’re making a life-changing decision like getting married.

It’s why I’m constantly challenged by what the consequences of following the creator of the universe means. When I think He is just concerned about something, He continually proves it’s bigger than that. When I think it’s about a local issue, He shows it’s bigger than that. When others want to look at it as a regional concern, He shows it’s bigger than that. The issue is not just about setting the example for your children to see – it’s bigger than that. It’s about contributing to the glory of the Lord covering the world even as the waters cover the sea.

It’s about seeing everyone called by God actively engaged in that. It’s about seeing that in every sphere of life. It won’t require a hymn service, prayer and bible study to legitimise it. It requires obedient and faithful hearts stimulating action in the home, action in the workplace, action in the community, action even in church settings. Action that says that the God we serve is interested in the intimate and small details and He is so much bigger than that.

I thank God that He’s not just the God of the mountains, plains, one day, the other day, one stream of thought, another stream of thought, one culture or another culture. He is the God of the universe.

The joy of knowing Him is however great we think He is – He just goes to show – He’s bigger than that.

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

C. L. J. Dryden