Our God operates at a level far above our pay grade. He is beyond measure in every possible way. His magnificent power and endless love are not only beyond measure, they are beyond our wildest imagination. Isaiah wrote, “Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.” (Isaiah 40:28) Habakkuk 3:6 tells us, “When he stops, the earth shakes. When he looks, the nations tremble. He shatters the everlasting mountains and levels the eternal hills. He is the Eternal One!” Jude writes, “All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.”
Do you want to know what awes and humbles me most about the powerful God we worship and serve? It is that he loves me and wants a relationship with me. The truth that John 3:16 applied to me personally changed my life and lingers with me always. Sometimes I just start to sing, “Who am I that a King would bleed and die for? Who am I that He would pray, ‘Not my will, thine Lord?’ The answer I may never know; why He’d ever love me so, that to an old rugged cross He’d go for who am I.”
When I was in my mid-twenties, I did some preaching as a lay evangelist. This is one of the stories I used as an illustration. A farmer set up a farm stand along the road to sell vegetables to those passing by. His neighbor came by carrying a large gunny sack. He greeted him asking what he had in the sack. The neighbor replied, “It’s a male pig that’s just been weened. I’m taking him over to the Musgrave farm. George offered to buy him to raise as a breeder.” The farmer told him that was great and said, “If I’m not here on your way back, I’ll see you at church Sunday, Lord willing.” His neighbor spun around and tersely responded, “Jed, you’re always saying ‘Lord willing’ this and ‘Lord willing’ that. Do you really think you need the Lord’s permission for every little thing you do? I’ll see you at church, period.” He marched off having made his point. But a short time later, he was trudging slowly back up the road. His hair was standing straight out, his clothes were a mess and he looked like he could keel over any second. Jed asked him what happened and he replied, “As I was going along, a rain shower came up, so my pig and I stopped under a big tree to keep from getting soaked. Suddenly there was a clap of thunder and a lightning bolt struck the tree. I thought for sure that I was a goner! I dropped the sack and the scared pig ran away. I was too stunned and weak to chase after him.” “WOW,” exclaimed Jed. “What are you going to do now?” His neighbor looked him straight in the eye and said, “I’m going home, Lord willing.”
I hope it never takes a bolt of lightning to remind us that God wants to be involved in every part of our life – even the mundane tasks that sometimes seem minor and unimportant.