“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)
“For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)
God is so vast and wide that it would be foolish and futile to even attempt to match his wisdom in any area of our endeavour. No way! “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:25) We worship a God who is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing) and omnipresent (ever-present).He is an invisible, invincible and unchangeable God who cannot be equalled anywhere. Speaking through the prophet Isaiah God challenges us: “To whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?” (Isaiah 46:5) The answer is obvious – NO ONE.
The Potter
To paint a portrait of his character and identity, God requested the prophet Jeremiah to go and see a potter at work. The lesson? “Like clay in the hand of the potter so are you in my hand, O house of Israel?” (Jeremiah 18:6) God is the One who fashioned human beings after breaking, melting, moulding and shaping the clay. We are his handiwork.
EL SHADDAI/THE GOD ALMIGHTY
At his first encounter with God, Abraham heard these words. “I am the God Almighty, walk before me and be blameless.” (Genesis 17:1) That is a rather unusual way to introduce oneself to a total stranger, don’t you think? Well it’s nothing less than a complimentary or business card these days where we catalogue all our credentials. Here God was saying to Abraham; ‘I am a very powerful God unlike your handmade household gods. I am mighty all around.’ Job agreed: “I know you can do all things, no plan of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2)
I AM
This title is the most intriguing to know God by. Asked who Moses should say had sent him to liberate the Children of Israel in Egypt, God responded: “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” Puzzled no doubt by the look on Moses’ face, he added: “Say to the Israelites: The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob – has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14-15)
What on earth should this mean? ‘I am’ is the present tense of the verb ‘to be.’ Anyone who says ‘I am’ is alive and present. The message being conveyed here is that God, the ‘I AM WHO I AM’ is always and will still be the ‘I AM.’ He has no past, no future; he is continually in the present. He is the ever-present God–the God of all ages. Ancient of Days!
THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA
From the Greek, this title means ‘the Beginning and the End.’ “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God,” who is and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8) God was at the commencement, when it all started for the human race and he will be around at the end. As the author of creation, he witnessed it all. Since he lives outside the time zone, he will equally witness the end.
JEHOVAH SHALOM/THE LORD IS PEACE
Peace is a state of mind that cannot be bought. It is the product of true fellowship with God. Gideon had an encounter with the angel of God and did not realise this until after the sacrifice had been consumed and the angel had ‘vanished into thin air.’ He was so frightened; he thought that was the end of him. “But the Lord said to him, ‘Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” (Judges 6:23) Gideon was so pleased he built an altar to God and called it: “The Lord is Peace.” Our Lord is that Peace that the world cannot fathom. To know him is to have peace which he alone gives.
BUILDER AND WATCHMAN
“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labour in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.” (Psalm 127:1) King Solomon who wrote this psalm underlines how very intimate God is in our daily relationships. God wants to be the architect and builder of our earthly temples. A family that does not recognise God as the centre-piece is prone to the devil’s attacks. A city that does not honour God is likely to be at the mercy of Satan and his cohorts. God secures both family and property when we knit a sound relationship with him.
For our sakes, the Lord is and has become so many things to us. Though a Sovereign God, he nevertheless makes himself available to us around the clock.
Why all this attention you may dare to ask? Well, simply because we are his ‘treasured possessions.’ We are so very important to him. Do you believe this? Every one of us counts for him. Don’t be left out. He is saying to you: “Come! Whoever is thirsty, let him come and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” (Revelation 22:17)
