When someone talks about God, do you envision Him as an old man with a long white beard, looking down from heaven and surveying the earth and its inhabitants? Or do you see God as an invisible force, unattainable and unreachable?

Sometimes, we expect God to fit our template, our design, and our thinking. But God is not within our limited, man-made boxes. He is outside and all around us. We seek the God we want, not the God Who is!

The God that I have come to know is a personal God; a God who loves us unconditionally; a God who listens to us and promises to be with us until the end of time; and a God Who sacrificed His one and only-begotten Son so that we may obtain eternal life.

But sometimes, we want God to work fast and on demand without suffering on our part. But God knows us better than we know ourselves. There is a reason that He doesn't give us what we want. All we need to do is trust in His wisdom and mercy.

Acts 17:22-29 – So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: "Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: 'To an Unknown God.' This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I'm telling you about.

"He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn't live in man-made temples, and human hands can't serve his needs — for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.

"His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him — though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' And since this is true, we shouldn't think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone." (NLT)

Revelation 1:8 – "I am the Alpha and the Omega — the beginning and the end," says the Lord God. "I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come — the Almighty One. (NLT)

What is God like to you?

Prayer: Father in heaven, forgive us for putting things that we idolize ahead of You. Keep our focus on doing Your will and trusting in Your wisdom and guidance. Strengthen us to abide in You, even though the road gets rough and we are confronted with uncertainty. Change our hearts to worship only You, the great I AM. Amen.

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About the author:

Rosemary Hagedorn <rosyhagedorn@gmail.com>
Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada
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