The grandeur and majesty of God cannot be overstated. He reigns and rules in sovereignty over all creation in glory and honor. Tearing through the void of existence, God formed the cosmos out of nothingness. He cut through the planets with His voice, separating earth and sky. It was God who chiseled mountain ranges and hollowed out trenches and valleys. He commands the breadth of the universe and nurtured life into being. In contrast, yet designed in harmony, God made all things. Splashed across the canvas of creation is God’s indelible mark. Take a minute to think about that. Soak up the implications of that truth. Within the immensity of God’s power and brilliance, there is another truth woven throughout the Bible: God is personal. All that God is doesn’t take away from His knowledge and care for each of us. King David wrote of this thought-provoking reality of God’s character in Psalm 8.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? Psalm 8: 3-4
I find it perplexing and overwhelming most days. I see my sin, my weakness, and my flaws. I agonize over moments of embarrassment, failures, and loss months and even years after they occur. As I see myself, it is, at times, hard to imagine God intimately loves me. God invites me into an everlasting embrace not in ignorance but rather in His omniscience. I find humble assurance of the character and nature of God shown in the words of the prophet Isaiah to a group of Israelites who survived the conquering defeat of the Assyrians. In their defeat, God drew near. As they clung to idols, God spoke to them. He didn’t cast them away but spoke these words through His prophet, “even to gray hairs, I will carry you.”
Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel,Who have been upheld by Me from birth, Who have been carried from the womb: Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you. Isaiah 46:3-4
Our sins should never detract from the mercy of God, but are all the more reason to praise His name. We are pulled into this blood-bought covenant with God by the Holy Spirit that guarantees us a relationship with the Almighty God. Seeing and understanding just a small glimpse of the greatness of God overlaid upon the nearness of His presence is indescribable. It is my prayer that you are able to delight in experiencing God in all of His splendor, reaching down and embracing you. All your weaknesses, every ounce of shame, and every bit of guilt are enveloped in His glory as He holds you near.
Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. Psalm 73:23