“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure
and weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?
Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord,
or what man shows him his counsel?
Whom did he consult,
and who made him understand?
Who taught him the path of justice,
and taught him knowledge,
and showed him the way of understanding?
Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
and are accounted as the dust on the scales;
behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.
Lebanon would not suffice for fuel,
nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering.
All the nations are as nothing before him,
they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.
To whom then will you liken God,
or what likeness will you compare with him?” – Isaiah 40:12-18
Recently, I was reading a quote from one of my favorite pastors/authors by the name of A.W. Tozer. The quote reads. “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” This quote burrowed deeply into my heart and got me thinking very much about my own view of who God is. This article is the fruit of that reflection, and as you read it I want you to ponder this question, “How high is your view of God?”
If you told me about your view of God, the answer you give would determine the path and trajectory of your life. A high view of God leads to a high worship of God and high and holy living, whereas, a low view of God leads to trivial worship, manipulative evangelism, and low based living. This is why the most important issue of the church during any time in history is its view of God.
Today we live in a time where liberalism and secularism have polluted many congregations. They proudly proclaim doctrines where God cannot see or know the future; a god who does not guide all of human history with his sovereign hand, yet sits passively letting things just “play out.” Some have a god whose sovereign will is no match for that of his own creation, or a god who is open and accepting to all lifestyles. In doing so they do not preach of a mighty God, but a puny one; a god who should not be praised, rather pitied. May I ask, “How high is your view of God?”
In answering this low view of a “user-friendly” God in which many churches today preach, I began this article with Isaiah 40 which is a description of the awesomeness and greatness of God. The verses above stems from verse 9 of the chapter and it reads:
“Go on up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good news;
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good news;
lift it up, fear not;
say to the cities of Judah,
“Behold your God!”
Every generation where the church has stood strong, and ushered in some of the greatest spiritual awakenings have come when its view of God was at its highest. Today we are languishing in our impotence and are rendering ourselves to no affect because our view of God is so detrimentally low. So when many churches today stand on their mountain proclaiming, “Behold your God,” they are selling a counterfeit creator to those listening. Beloved, if we are ever to see a reformation or revival take place in this nation again, a reformation of how we see God must happen first.
Isaiah poses five questions in verses 12 through 18 which bring out the immensity of God. He tells us how the entirety of our universe, every molecule, every atom fits within the span of God’s hand. We have an awesome God, a mighty God and an immeasurable God. Do we not sing with praise “how great thou art,” and “a mighty fortress is our God;” yet, our lips pour forth these praises, while we do not even understand the weight of those words. Some of us even sing it week after week, but are hearts proclaim on the inside, “If He really was so great, then why?”
My friends this is what the people of Jerusalem needed to hear 800 years before Christ would come. They needed a reminder of how magnificent God is, how big God is, how powerful, mighty, unchanging, faithful, loving, sovereign, and awesome God is. Like Isaiah’s time I believe that this very much is what we need today. We need to see God for who He is, not as some divine hippy who wants world peace, or a friend who always wants to do your desires and not his; but a God who is the creator of all the universe, a God who is master of your life, a God who is Lord of Lords, King of Kings, and Lion of Judah. He is a God who every knee will bow to and every tongue will confess too; a God who is mighty to save, not hopeful to. So I ask again, “How high is your view of God?”
