Beyond the Imagination
/How do you see God? Have you imagined Him as a grandfather figure, a man of color with a broad smile, or a huge figure with light illuminating from head to feet?
The Creation of Adam, a painting Michelangelo created on the ceiling of the sistine chapel in Vatican City, shows God and Adam extending their arms toward each other with their index fingers nearly touching. The painting portrays God as an older, white-haired man with a strong body build - reaching out to Adam, the primary symbol of humanity. Seeing that ceiling painting in person would be awesome but I get to see a smaller version of The Creation of Adam every day at Tim’s Gift. A friend gave me the print years ago; every time I look at it I think of my heavenly Father and good friend with imaginations of what He looks like, what Heaven will be like, even how it will be when we all get to heaven. Knowing it will be glorious as we sing and shout the victory, there will be so much to take in that we have imagined and prayed for all our lives.
Words from Psalm 102:25 remind us of HIs majestic power and presence in our lives.
“In the beginning, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.”
Trying to imagine how He hung the moon, stars, made the seas - you and me...our feeble minds fail to see just how great is our GOD!
Listening to His words give comfort as we imagine with thankful hearts for Him being the Great I Am. Can’t you just hear God saying, “I am rest for the weary; I am peace for the storm-tossed; I am strength for those without strength; I am wisdom for the foolish; I am righteousness for the sinful; I am all that the neediest soul on earth can want; I am exceedingly abundantly beyond all you can ask or think.”
God is way beyond the limitations of our - the children He created - imaginations. No one can truly depict HIs being, just as nothing we ask for is beyond His power to provide. What is the greatest thing you believe God could do in your life?
Being involved in a local BIble Study has given such insight into just how awesome and great is our God. Karry Godwin teaches the Word in a way one can imagine Jesus smiling and sitting in the empty seat left among us for social distancing. My heart raced with emotion one night when a gentleman in attendance spoke of his love and admiration for God. He shared how his close relationship with the Lord has lit up his life with opportunities to serve and share love and help in ways he never imagined. His life is a testimony of God’s amazing grace as he serves the Lord in ministry doing things to honor God and help His hurting children in ways beyond imagination. His faith glowed in his smile while sharing how nothing would surprise him that God could do. Believing beyond imagination is wise and wonderful as we only tap into a small sphere of what God can do when we trust, obey, and seek Him through the good and bad as we go along our way!
The past nine months have given a glimpse of God’s goodness in grieving seasons when storms, sickness, sorrow, and sad ways of living and governing are rampant in our nation. We look around and feel as if we see only imperfection: crime, poverty, illness, tragedy, rioting, looting, dishonesty, scheming, killing, dishonoring God, Goodness exists also, but never makes headlines! And we want to see something that is untainted by the failings of humanity. That ‘something’ can only be GOD! So, we try to create a picture of Him - and it, too, is tainted by our being human! Are we wrong to try to picture God? No, but we need to realize that as we try to picture God, He is saying to us, “I am so much more”!
It is our duty to love and to ‘go and tell’ of Jesus and His wonder working power, while realizing God is so much more than what we think! He is truly beyond our imagination!
People have realized Martha minded living has loomed and left us groping for pieces of time for the Lord and loved ones. Family time has flourished during the Pandemic with plenty of time together to talk, dine, play games, worship, watch sunsets, enjoy early morning coffee, and do as Mary and Jesus did: just sit and share stories!
Stories from the early seventies when Tim and I were so in love and looked forward to date nights with nothing important to do or nowhere committed to go pop up in my heart as I end this story about God being beyond anything we could imagine. Tim would pick me up at Weaver Dorm at Methodist University. We always headed to Pizza Palace for a special meal, back to campus where he parked his Chevelle and we listened to our favorite song, “It’s Just My Imagination”! There were seasons when being together looked bleak but we never stopped imagining and believing we would be together.
After enjoying music on Tim’s eight track tapes, we walked hand in hand to the small campus chapel. The intimacy with God was beyond imagination in that sacred place. We talked for hours of what we dreamed of and prayed for the Lord to do in our lives. Often, we sat in silence with his arm around my shoulder and the Holy Spirit giving peace beyond understanding - to our ‘young and in love’ hearts! We could not imagine the plans God had for us; yet, in His perfect timing plans panned out! We enjoyed 38 years together with blessings beyond what we ever thought possible...truly beyond our imagination.
What about you? Are you seeking sweet peace and joy that come by loving the Lord beyond imagination? He promises He is exceedingly abundantly beyond all you can ask or think. So, let your imagination roll and reach out to your heavenly Father with stories He is waiting to hear. His amazing love can’t be explained,but we will know we are One with Father, Son, and Spirit!
That’s the way it is with God’s love, once we experience it. The world will know, our love for Him will show as we pass it on. Remember, it is not just our imagination! God is real and waiting to enter your heart, won’t you ask Him to come in and dine with you? Then, you’ll see it’s beyond the imagination what God can do!
