Foundations of Faith
THE DIVINE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD (II)
Who is the strongest man you have ever seen or heard of? According to the Reader’s Digest Almanac of 1985, V. Alexeev of the USSR lifted a weight of 1,411 pounds in the 1972 Summer Olympics. In the Bible we read of mighty Samson who “took the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of a hill” (Judg. 16:3). But what is this compared with the power of God? God is omnipotent, that is, He possesses all power. If all the stars in the universe could be put into a large sack, omnipotent God could carry them as easily as if they were a single grain of sand. God is so powerful, He created the universe by simply speaking a word:”By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth…. He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast” (Psa. 33:6,9).
God’s infinite power isn’t revealed only with regard to huge, massive objects, such as causing the waters of the Red Sea to pile up while the children of Israel walked across on dry land (Exod. 14:21-30). God has the power to create tiny things as well, such as putting together the marvelous atom (see the May 1993 issue) or causing a baby to be born to Abraham and Sarah long after their natural ability to have children had passed. (See Assignment 23)
Many of our readers may be too young to remember when a couple of Russian cosmonauts returned to Earth and reported, “There is no God; we didn’t see Him anywhere out in space.” How blind they were (not to mention unscientific)! For while God indeed is invisible and cannot be seen with our eyes, His work is clearly visible:”The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament [or sky] shows His handiwork” (Psa. 19:1). But the Bible tells us even more than this:God is omnipresent, that is, present everywhere. This is not to say that God is a part of everything (such as the trees, lakes, snails, houses, etc.) as taught by some. No, God is totally, absolutely distinct, above, and beyond everything that He created. But at the same time He is present everywhere throughout His creation. For many people this is good news; for others it is bad news. First the good news:
Have you ever been lost in the woods? ever tried to drive home on roads that were a sheet of ice? ever been in a boat when a sudden storm came up? ever been attacked by a mugger? Wherever we may be and whatever our circumstances, we can have the assurance that God is present.
Now the bad news:Have you ever tried to hide from God because you were ashamed of what you had done and were afraid of His judgment? Be assured that God caught you in the act, and knows exactly what you did and where you are at all times. (See Assignment 24)
“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Prov. 15:3). “Where shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there; if I make my bed in hell, behold Thou art there…. The darkness and the light are both alike to Thee” (Psa. 139:7-12).
Running the Race
HOW SHOULD WE THEN LIVE (in View of God’s Divine Attributes)? (II)
“I can’t do it! I just can’t do it!” How often have you said these words, or heard others say them? You may be struggling with an algebra problem, trying to thread a tiny needle, looking for your misplaced keys, learning to hit a baseball, making pie crust, or debugging a computer program. We all, from time to time, face difficulties and obstacles in life. How do we deal with them? Is there any way to avoid them? We often rush into a new project with great energy and enthusiasm and self-confidence, only to find that it isn’t as easy as we anticipated. Sometimes we give up in frustration; or sometimes at this point we finally decide that it is time to begin praying about it.
I believe the teaching of the Bible that God is omnipotent encourages us to seek His help with every new project and activity we begin. It may be many times each day that we do this. We may be at school, at home, at work, or at play. God wants us to trust in His almighty power and ability in all things. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Prov. 3:5,6). And when you find that you have indeed received help from the Lord, be sure to give Him all the glory.
“I know I shouldn’t be looking at the pictures in this magazine, but nobody needs to know it.” “Since there aren’t any supermarket personnel around, I am going to help myself to a couple of these candy bars.” Every time the Holy Spirit warns us about something we are about to do, Satan is right behind, whispering, “Nobody will know.” Even if no human being knows what you are doing, God surely does. Even more, the Lord Jesus does, and He keenly felt and suffered on the cross for that very sin that you are about to commit. And the Holy Spirit also knows, and is grieved by it and is hindered from His proper work in and through you. Next time you are tempted to do something you shouldn’t, remember that you have an audience–omnipresent God.
If you become hardened in your sin, omnipresent, invisible God has unique ways of becoming visible, after a fashion. For example, He may allow your sin to be discovered by your parents or a Christian friend. “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23).
It was noted above that God’s omnipresence is “bad news” to those who are trying to hide from Him. But if you stop and think about it, the “bad news” is not really all that bad. Rather, it will be a real blessing if the knowledge of God’s omnipresence motivates us to live every moment of our lives in such a way that we have nothing to be ashamed of and no reason to hide from God. If we seek to do only those things that are pleasing to Himself, we will enjoy His presence with us at all times (Exod. 33:14, and in [His] presence is fullness of joy” (Psa. 16:11).
Assignment 23: List at least four examples from each of the Old and New Testaments of God’s miracles or acts of great power; give references. Then describe an incident in your own life, or else in the life of someone you know or have read about, in which God’s great power has been revealed.
Assignment 24: Give two instances in the Bible where people tried to hide from God; give references.