“For the highest God above, who is and always will be, the only One who is holy has this to say:
Eternal One: I live in the high and holy place, yet I am with the low, the weak, and the humble. I renew their vitality and revive their strength.” (Isaiah 57:17, The Voice Bible)
Fill in the blank to complete this sentence: God is ______________.
There are so many possibilities: holy, love, righteous, awesome, merciful, forgiving … the list could go on until we run out of words. Even then, we would not have scratched the surface of describing God.
Almost 30 years ago, I was associate pastor of a little Baptist church. One Sunday morning, I was going to be preaching. I got to the church early that morning and began walking around the worship center praying aloud. I was using all these words to describe God, “You are holy, righteous, exalted, awesome, glorious …”
Suddenly I had a revelation: any word that I used after “You are” was a limiting description. Neither a single word, nor the accumulation of every word, would be sufficient to describe God. This revelation was not about changing my prayers, but about expanding my awe of God.
In this passage in Isaiah, God reminds us of His eternal and transcendent nature, and also that He is the God who draws near to us in our lowest state.
Words are insufficient …
Question: How does your view of God affect how you respond to Him?
Leave a comment below. I’d love to hear your perspective.
Here’s a little extra bonus encouragement: I Stand in Awe
