As I was reading this psalm, it struck me that too often, when we think of God, we bring God down to our level. We humanize God.
There's a good side to that, in a way. It's easier for us to think of God that way. It's easier for us to imagine God as a friend, as loving us, as caring about us, when we bring God down to our level. And it is true that God is our friend, that God does love us, and that God does care about us, so in that way, bringing God down to our level can be a good thing.
On the other hand, if we go too far with that, it can lead us to do things we should not do. It can lead us to start trying to order God around. It can lead us to start demanding that God act in a way that makes sense to us, and when God does not do that, we think there must be something wrong with God. We don't understand how God could not do things our way.
What this psalm does is remind us how powerful, how mighty, how awesome God is. It reminds us how God is so far from our level that we cannot even imagine it.
As I read this description again, try to picture it. Try to imagine what this would look like. It says of God, “Clouds and thick darkness surround him.” So we cannot even actually see God, all we can see is clouds and darkness.
Then it says, “Fire goes before him.” So, in front of those clouds and thick darkness, there's fire. And we're not just talking about a little fire from a candle, either. We're talking about a blaze. We're talking about a raging inferno, consuming everything in its path. So, you've got this big fire, and then you've got clouds and thick darkness. If we were somehow able to see God, that's all we'd be able to see.
Then, as God moves, here's the description of that. “His lightning lights up the world...The mountains melt like wax before the Lord.”
Think of the power involved in all this. Think of the might of God, that if God moves, mountains would melt like wax before God even gets there. This is one incredible God we're talking about here. This is a God way beyond anything we could ever even try to imagine. The power, the might, the absolutely incredible awesomeness of God are more than we can comprehend. When you think about it, you can see why the Bible says that no one on earth can see God and live. It's not that God would kill us if we saw God. It's that our minds would explode if we did. We'd never be able to handle it.
This is the God we pray to. Think about this. This God, who's so far beyond anything in human experience that I really cannot come up with words to do God justice, this is the God we talk to, and ask for things from, and make demands of, and get mad at, and get disappointed in when we don't get what we want.
God is so far beyond us. And yet, we're told we don't have to scared of God. Not if we believe in God, anyway. We're told that God guards the lives of the faithful. We're told God's light shines on us, and we'll feel joy, as long as we trust God and praise God.
You know, that might be the most awesome thing of all. That this God, who is so far beyond us, still really does love us, still really does care about us, still really is our friend. That's beyond my imagination, too.
Seriously, I don't know why God would love me. I don't know why God would want to be my friend. I mean, I'm glad about it. I can see what I get out of the deal. But what does God get out of it? What can I do for God? Nothing. There is absolutely nothing I can do for God that God could not do better without me getting in the way. The only thing I can see that God gets out of it is disappointment and frustration. God tries to guide me along the right path, and yet I keep wanting to go my own way and do my own thing. I keep thinking I know better than God does. You'd think God would just get disgusted and give up on me. But God never does.
God never gives up on you, either. God never gives up on any of us. No matter what we do, no matter how ignorant or selfish or just plain stupid we get, God still loves us, guides us, and wants to be our friend. It's beyond my comprehension why. But it's true.
But that's what love is. That's what love does. Love, true love, never gives up. Love never quits. No matter how disappointed or frustrated or even disgusted we are with someone, we never give up on someone we truly love. If we mere humans can love through all that, our all-powerful and yet all-loving God can love us through it even better.
God has incredible power and might. But God also has incredible love. May we all feel God's incredible love every day of our lives.
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