In preparing for last week’s sermon on Prayer and in talking with some students over the past couple days about life and the twists and turns in the road, I realize that so much of faith and how you view the world depends on what you think the nature of God is.
If your view of God is that of someone that takes away everything good in your life or does the bait and switch or just randomly gives and takes with no thought to you or anyone around you – wow – that can mess with your head. It would be hard to believe in a God like that. It would be hard to pray to a God like that. But if we believe in a just God, a God of goodness and love and power – a God that draws us towards Godself even when we don’t realize it – that’s a different view of God.
A lot of the songs that I think of when I think about the nature of God do describe God’s power and majesty and I do like “You are God Alone” and “Indescribable.” I also find the very personal descriptions of God powerful as well. Great Is Thy Faithfulness and Just a Closer Walk With Thee….awesomely meaningful.
I don’t have a lot of great answers in this post but it did strike me in thinking about prayer and the decisions that we make and the paths that we’re on – so much depends on how we see the God that we serve. What to you is the essence of God? Do you see an old man with a white beard? Do you see sunshine and rainbows? We did a program at Wesley once last year where students painted the image they had of God when they were children and the image they have of God now and it was great to see both of those images and hear their explanations for them. It’s definitely food for thought.
Great is Thy Faithfulness
Indescribable by Laura Story and Jesse Reeves
From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation’s revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming
Indescribable, uncontainable
You placed the stars in the sky
And You know them by name
You are amazing, God
All powerful, untameable
Awestruck we fall to our knees
As we humbly proclaim
You are amazing, God
Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet, conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom
Indescribable, uncontainable
You placed the stars in the sky
And You know them by name
You are amazing, God
All powerful, untameable
Awestruck we fall to our knees
As we humbly proclaim
You are amazing, God
You are amazing, God
Indescribable, uncontainable
You placed the stars in the sky
And You know them by name
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable
Awestruck we fall to our knees
As we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
Indescribable, uncontainable
You placed the stars in the sky
And You know them by name
You are amazing, God
Incomparable, unchangeable
You see the depths of my heart
And You love me the same
You are amazing, God
You are amazing, God
You are God Alone by Phillips, Craig & Dean
You are not a god
Created by human hands
You are not a god
Dependant on any mortal man
You are not a god
In need of anything we can give
By Your plan, that’s just the way it is
[chorus]
You are God alone
From before time began
You were on Your throne
Your are God alone
And right now
In the good times and bad
You are on Your throne
You are God alone
You’re the only God
Whose power none can contend
You’re the only God
Whose name and praise will never end
You’re the only God
Who’s worthy of everything we can give
You are God
And that’s just the way it is
[bridge]
Unchangeable
Unshakable
Unstoppable
That’s what You are
Blessings on the Journey 
From TheUpper Room yesterday by Jeanne Zornes:
This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
-Lamentations 3:21-23 (NRSV)
“I sighed as I opened the notebook where I record prayer requests. Many people I cared about struggled with health, financial and family issues that seemed unsolvable. The day’s news reported many tragedies around the world — so much to pray for! Tears filled my eyes. Then I turned to the last page of my notebook. Several years earlier, I had begun a “blessings list” of times I had experienced God’s help and presence in a special way. My list included someone’s profession of faith, healing, financial provision, and my children finding Christian spouses. As I re-read this list, I remembered that at one time I wasn’t sure how or even if God would answer my prayers. But as answers came, I saw God’s love and wisdom.
The tears that come when I pray help me to understand the book of Lamentations. Written about six centuries before Christ, in the dark days after Judah fell to Babylon, the book is full of despair. But tucked in it is a blessings list. When feeling defeated, the writer paused to call to mind God’s past faithfulness and declared in renewed trust, “Great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations reminds me that answers may not come right away, but our faithful God sees those who continue to put their hope in our Creator.”