“I need to be reminded of who You are, not what You can do for me.”
These words popped out of my mouth a few weeks ago as I was praying for what I needed in a moment where I was feeling extremely overwhelmed with fear and anxiety. I’d like to tell you the words came from a place of deep reverence and self awareness, but honestly I was just trying to find a lifeline I could hold onto. I had been focusing on the faithfulness of the Lord in my personal life, and as great as His faithfulness has been (and is promised to be), in that moment I needed something more.
One thing I’ve held onto for a few years now is the idea that I am bookended in every moment. In every moment I am held on both sides, behind and before, by the Almighty God. I can lean back and be reminded of the greatness of His provision and presence and power in my life, I can lean forward on the promise of what is to come for those who claim the blood of Jesus, and I can sit right here in between both and know that God is here too (Matthew 28:20).
As I was praying through my overwhelmed heart, I realized I had been unintentionally forgetting the most important piece. Yes, I can look back and see the Lord’s faithfulness and I can look forward and see His promises, but I can also look up. I can look up in this moment and focus not on what the Lord has or can or will do for me but on who He is.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m still in need of the bookends to keep me upright. There is so much value in recognizing what you’ve been brought through and where you’re going by the grace of God. In that moment, however, I needed to specifically know who the God of faithfulness and promise is.
In taking the time to dive into who God says He is on that day and now looking at what is going on with the world today, I can't help but wonder if the Lord brought me to that place a few weeks ago so I would now be able to share with you who He says He is. Either way, I can't think of a better time for each of us to be reminded of who God is.
So today, all I want to do is share with you what I found about who God says He is:
God is creator of the heavens and earth (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 45:18)
God is love (1 John 4:16)
God is sovereign (Psalm 73:28, 109:21)
God is healer (Exodus 15:26)
God is all-powerful (Job 36:22, NLT)
God is the eternal rock (Isaiah 26:4)
God is so wise and so mighty (Job 9:4, NLT)
God is greater than we can understand-higher than the heavens, higher than the farthest stars (Job 22:12; 36:26, NLT)
God is King of all the earth (Psalm 47:7)
God is peace (1 Corinthians 14:33; Isaiah 9:6)
God is holy (Psalm 99:9)
God is faithful (Deuteronomy 7:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:24)
God is light (1 John 1:5)
God is merciful and forgiving (Deuteronomy 4:31; Daniel 9:9)
God is the source of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3)
God is unchanging (Hebrews 13:8)
God is just (Deuteronomy 32:4; 2 Thessalonians 1:6)
God is truth(Proverbs 30:5; John 15:26)
God is the one and only Lord, the God of gods and the Lord of lords (Deuteronomy 10:17; Mark 12:29, NLT)
God is patient (2 Peter 3:9)
God is a planner (Isaiah 25:1)
God is gracious, righteous, and full of compassion (Psalm 116:5)
As we pray for peace and healing for our world, may we remember who we are praying to. He is bigger than this. He is the bookends and the base and banner over us all.
PS - I can assure you this is just a glimpse of who He is, not an exhaustive list. If you're looking to know more of who God is, I encourage you to open His Word. He is on every page.
All references are from the NIV translation unless noted.
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