How Big is Your God – Pt 2

It is a question we all need to ask because “We cannot exercise our faith beyond what we believe to be possible”. –John G. Lake

So how big is your God?  Some time ago God used a very famous story,  to teach me what I am what I am writing about.  The story begins with Saul leading the Israelites out to battle the Philistines and it is found in 1 Samuel 17:3-11

3 So the Philistines and Israelites faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them.  4 Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was a giant of a man, measuring over nine feet tall!   5 He wore a bronze helmet and a coat of mail that weighed 125 pounds.  6 He also wore bronze leggings, and he slung a bronze javelin over his back.  7 The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed fifteen pounds. An armour bearer walked ahead of him carrying a huge shield.  8 Goliath stood and shouted across to the Israelites, “Do you need a whole army to settle this? Choose someone to fight for you, and I will represent the Philistines. We will settle this dispute in single combat!  9 If your man is able to kill me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves!  10 I defy the armies of Israel! Send me a man who will fight with me!”  11 When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.

Here you have two armies preparing for war and as tradition went the conflict could be solved by single combat of two champions, and out of the ranks of the Philistines steps their champion.  Now the men of Israel were seasoned soldiers, and this was not their first conflict.  They had seem many great victories won, and if you had asked any one of them how great God was they would have told you that God was great and powerful.  And just like them most Christians today would say that their God is great and powerful, That nothing is to difficult for God.

But yet when you examine their lives you don’t see a God of the impossible.  Most times you see problems to impossible for God.  Most Christians today who say they believe in the God of the impossible, live today like He isn’t involved, isn’t interested, or is too powerless to help.  Despite all the things we say about God, and who God is often our lifestyles say something different.  And just like the men of Israel who cowered and hid from Goliath while saying they served a great and awesome God we tend to shy away from or get defeated and depressed by many of the situations we face in our lives.

How big is your God?  Does your life agree with your declaration?

I know mine didn’t. I would tell people about a God who created the universe with a word, A God who measures the oceans in the palm of His hand, who measures the whole universe with the span of His hand, who holds the universe together by the power of His word.  I would talk about a God who is interested in our daily lives, to whom we can take all our problems to, one who deeply cares for us, and desires to provide all we need, and yet like most people I would often try to solve my problems myself or would seek the help or advice from a friend or loved one.  My life demonstrated how small my God was.  My problems were to great even when my words said otherwise.

What is your life declaring about how great your God is?