How big is God /really/? Isaiah 40:12-17, 21-29

*NEW FORMAT! Since this is such a big piece, I'll be doing a verse breakdown as we go. The entire passage will be linked at the end.*

If you're not familiar with the book of Isaiah, here's a quick rundown. Isaiah was a prophet who prophesied from about 740-700B.C. , possibly until the 680s. He prophesied a LOT against the sins of Judah, and warned them that they would bring down God's wrath if they kept it up. It sounds harsh, but in with that he emphasized the sovereignty and greatness of God. He also prophesied not only the coming of Christ, but a TON of the things that happened to Christ (including but not limited to the birth and crucifixion and raising from the dead.)

These verses are a new favorite of mine because they answer the question a lot of people wonder about: "How big is God really?" Christians talk about how powerful He is and how awesome and wonderful He is, but when we say "We have a big God," most people can't pull to mind concrete examples of just how big He is (aside from Him being so big He created the entire universe.) Most people agree on one thing: He's far too big for us to even begin to comprehend. We know He has to be huge. But what about specific examples?

Let's take a look.

v12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand

and marked off the heavens with a span,

enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure

and weighed the mountains in scales

and the hills in a balance?

The same way that we measure cooking ingredients, God measures "the waters" (which is not clear whether it solely means the waters on earth or other waters as well), the DUST of the earth, the MOUNTAINS, and the HILLS! The same way we measure flour in a measuring cup, He measures the dust of the earth. That's pretty intense. But wait--it gets bigger.

v13-14 Who has measured the Spirit of the LORD,

or what man shows him his counsel?

Whom did he consult,

and who made him understand?

Who taught him the path of justice,

and taught him knowledge,

and showed him the way of understanding?

These verses sit pretty deeply with me since I'm going to university for counseling. You can't counsel God. You can't give Him advice. You could probably tell Him what you think, but it won't matter. There is nothing in all of your (my) finite human knowledge that God could benefit from "learning," because He already knows it all. God doesn't need our advice.

v15-16 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,

and are accounted as the dust on the scales;

behold, he takes up the coast-lands like fine dust.

Lebanon would not suffice for fuel,

nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering.

So, not only are all the nations on the planet (currently, that number is more than 190 recognized countries) not enough to fill a bucket, they are only a DROP in that bucket! Have you ever measured a drop of water? It's tiny. That's us. ALL of us.

What's more, all the nations on the earth are the dust on the scales. After you've cleaned, if you watch the flat surface very closely a fine layer of dust will resettle on the surface. You have to look at it from the right angle to see it. On God's scales, we are that dust! Wow.

Next, "he takes up the coast-lands like fine dust." Coast-lands=beaches. God can take up all of the beaches and it will STILL be just like that fine layer of dust we talked about just a minute ago. All of the giant beaches with unfathomable amounts of particles of sand are like dust to God. All of Lebanon (Here's a map) would not be enough fuel for the offering fire, and all of the creatures big and small would not be enough for an offering.

v17 All the nations are as nothing before him,

they are accounted by him as less

than nothing and emptiness.

What this verse is NOT saying: "God doesn't love us."
(He loves us more deeply than any of us will ever be able to know.)

What this verse IS saying: We are so teeny tiny in God's eyes they we are nothing in comparison to, well, everything else. We're a drop in the bucket. We're dust on the scales. We are tiny and finite.

Skip ahead to verse 21:

v21-22 Do you not know? Do you not hear?

Has it not been told you from the beginning?

Have you not understood from

the foundations of the earth?

It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,

and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;

who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,

and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;

The comparison to grasshoppers is a reminder of how immensely small we are next to the immensely big God. He treats the whole amount of the heavens (which can either mean the sky or Heaven itself) as a piece of fabric! The whole expanse of the universe, how dense and just full of stuff it is, He molds and moves and shifts like it's a piece of burlap (that's what I like to imagine tents of the time felt like anyway.)

v23-24 who brings princes to nothing,

and makes the rulers of the earth

as emptiness.

Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,

scarcely has their stem taken root

in the earth,

when he blows on them, and they wither,

and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

Think of the most powerful ruler you know of. It could be the President of the United States. Or the queen of England. Or the President of the People's Republic of China. Or a religious figure like the Pope or the Dalai Lama. Think of how big they are, how much power and sway they hold over billions of people.

God can end their reign like they're nothing.

In God's eyes, they're like flowers that have just started to sprout--tiny. Weak. Frail. He can blow on them and they crumble! The most powerful people in the world are nothing compared to the might of God.

v25-26 To whom then will you compare me,

that I should be like him? says the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes on high and see:

who created these?

He who brings out their host by number,

calling them all by name,

by the greatness of his might,

and because he is strong in power

no one is missing.

You can't compare God to ANYONE because He is so totally huge that nobody can begin to hold a candle to Him. He's so big that He "brings out their host by number" and knows all of their names. He's so big that He doesn't forget or miss anyone.

v27-29 Why do you say, O Jacob,

and speak, O Israel,

"My way is hidden from the LORD,

and my right is disregarded by my God"?

Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

his understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the faint,

and to him who has no might he increases strength.

He sees all. He created all. His stamina is literally infinite. His knowledge unsearchable. He's so strong that He gives strength to the little tiny dust-sized grasshoppers (that would be us by the way.)

THAT'S how big God is.

(Here's a link to the whole passage I referenced on BibleGateway.)

In Christ and Love,

Gabrielle

Genesis 40

Genesis 40

English Standard Version (ESV)

Joseph Interprets Two Prisoners' Dreams

Some time after this, the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt. ² And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, ³  and he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. ⁴ The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They continued for some time in custody.⁵ And one night they both dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation. ⁶ When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. ⁷ So he asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in custody in his master's house, “Why are your faces downcast today?” ⁸ They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them,“Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”⁹ So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream there was a vine before me, ¹⁰ and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. ¹¹ Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand.” ¹² Then Joseph said to him, “This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days. ¹³ In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh's cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer. ¹⁴ Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. ¹⁵ For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.”¹⁶ When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, ¹⁷ and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.” ¹⁸ And Joseph answered and said, “This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. ¹⁹  In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and hang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you.”²⁰ On the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, he made a feast for all his servants and lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. ²¹  He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand. ²² But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. ²³ Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

If you're familiar with the story of Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors, you'll probably recognize this passage. This is the same Joseph, after he was sold to Egypt, gained favor with Potiphar, and was thrown in the dungeon for "attempting to sleep with  Potiphar's wife." (He didn't actually do that, by the way.)

So while in the dungeon, Joseph runs across these two former-employees of Pharoah's court. He's instructed by the guard to take care of them for a while. I'd like to stop here and note: Isn't it funny how God brings people into our lives? God knew that the cupbearer and baker were going to need someone they could trust later, to interpret their dreams. And Joseph was probably the last person they expected! Think about it--it couldn't have just been those three in the dungeon--there were probably lots of other prisoners. Yet God brought the amazingly blessed Joseph into their path. Cool, huh?

Anyway, the two guys had dreams that freaked them out. They got to talking with Joseph, who asked them to tell him their dreams because interpretation is the Lord's. Now, the way this verse (verse 8) is worded, someone might go "Aha! Joseph is saying he is God!" He's not. What I understand him to be saying is "It's up to God to interpret these, and I trust Him to do so. Can I know your dreams?" He's not trying to be all awesome here--he's being a friend. He was concerned for them because, the passage says, they were troubled.

So they guys told Joseph their dreams and Joseph told them what they meant: The cupbearer is going to get restored--cool, huh? But Joseph makes a request in verse 14: " Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house." We don't know from the passage if the cupbearer said "yeah sure" or not. That wasn't included. Since the cupbearer's dream was good, the baker wanted to know his. But his dream was interpreted as his execution. Ouch.

So Pharoah brought the two guys out of the dungeon and restored the cupbearer and killed the baker, exactly as Joseph had interpreted. Now, here's the point I really want to make with this. Take a look at the last verse:

²³ Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

After all the good Joseph did for this guy while he was in prison, the guy didn't even remember him! That's an important point. Why?

Joseph didn't get mad that he wasn't remembered. He didn't get upset. He was probably a little disappointed because he really wanted to get out of there, but he didn't pitch a fit. What did he do?

He continued doing good anyway.

This reminds me of a very popular quote, the actual source unknown but that many people say came from Mother Teresa:

"People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway. What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

THE GOOD YOU DO TODAY, WILL OFTEN BE FORGOTTEN. DO GOOD ANYWAY.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."

To me this quote looks a lot like Joseph's story. Does it to you? I could go line by line and explain why I think it applies, but what I really want to focus on is the bolded part. That is what Joseph did: He did good and his good was forgotten. But he chose to do good anyway.

My prayer today is that you keep this in mind today, striving to be like Joseph in your choices to do good, even when you may be forgotten and even when the outcome doesn't look so positive. I pray you give the best you have, even if it feels like it is never enough. Because it's between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

In Christ and Love,

Gabrielle

G: Proverbs 28

Proverbs 28

English Standard Version (ESV)

28 The wicked flee when no one pursues,
    but the righteous are bold as a lion.
² When a land transgresses, it has many rulers,
    but with a man of understanding and knowledge,
    its stability will long continue.
³ A poor man who oppresses the poor
    is a beating rain that leaves no food.
⁴ Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
    but those who keep the law strive against them.
⁵ Evil men do not understand justice,
    but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.
⁶ Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity
    than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.
⁷ The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding,
    but a companion of gluttons shames his father.
⁸ Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit

     gathers it for him who is generous to the poor.
⁹ If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,
    even his prayer is an abomination.
¹⁰ Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way
     will fall into his own pit,
    but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.
¹¹ A rich man is wise in his own eyes,
    but a poor man who has understanding will find him out.
¹² When the righteous triumph, there is great glory,
    but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves.
¹³ Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
    but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
¹⁴ Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always,
    but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
¹⁵ Like a roaring lion or a charging bear
    is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
¹⁶ A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,
    but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.
¹⁷ If one is burdened with the blood of another,
    he will be a fugitive until death;
    let no one help him.
¹⁸ Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered,
    but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.
¹⁹ Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
    but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.
²⁰ A faithful man will abound with blessings,
    but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
²¹ To show partiality is not good,
    but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong.
²² A stingy man hastens after wealth
    and does not know that poverty will come upon him.
²³ Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor
    than he who flatters with his tongue.

²⁴ Whoever robs his father or his mother
    and says, “That is no transgression,”
    is a companion to a man who destroys.
²⁵ A greedy man stirs up strife,
    but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched.
²⁶ Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool,
    but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.²⁷ Whoever gives to the poor will not want,
    but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.
²⁸ When the wicked rise, people hide themselves,
    but when they perish, the righteous increase.

G: Psalm 121 (ESV)

Psalm 121

English Standard Version (ESV)

My Help Comes from the Lord

A Song of Ascents.

121 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴ Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
⁸ The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.

 I have a migraine problem. When I had long hair, I had a migraine just about every day. (And yes, I know the difference between a "normal" headache and a migraine.) Now, with short hair, I have them about twice every week. Often, some tylenol or advil will help. Sometimes though, like today, it doesn't.

I used to just lay in bed in the cold and dark bemoaning the fact that my head hurt so badly. The migraines have gotten so severe that they make one eye tear up and keep me in bed for a day or two. I used to be completely okay with complaining about them. And I still whine about them when they hurt a whole lot. I don't feel like there's anything wrong with expressing my displeasure for them.

But something I've learned to do recently, before turning to coffee or excedrin (my last ditch efforts to get rid of the pain), is to thank God. Sound silly? I don't think it is at all. Especially when I flipped open my Bible to do my devotions this morning and it randomly flipped open to Psalm 121, right when I was telling God I was going to push past the migraine enough to talk to him. And the first thing He says to me isn't "stop complaining," it's "I am your Help."

And for me that's huge. I'm such a comfort seeker when I'm sick or in pain--always asking my family and boyfriend for hugs, attention, and love. Is that bad? I don't think so. But it's really big to me when GOD steps in and says "Here. Let me take care of you." I'm not trying to say He doesn't take care of me other times. But it's those times where I've learned to praise Him in spite of the pain that resonate most deeply within me because God wants to help me. He wants to help you. He wants to help all of his children! He's proven that time and time again over the course of history. But He doesn't help where we don't let him. When the Israelites turned their noses up at God and said "We don't need you, we need Baal and the Asherah," God got angry and said "Fine, do it your way." And the Israelites suffered. Yes, God wants all people to know and love and worship and follow Him. But He doesn't force them to. He doesn't force me to keep him as my top priority, number one in my life. But when I do, He blesses me. And I get that not just from experience, but from Isaiah:

Isaiah 40:30-31

English Standard Version (ESV)

³⁰ Even youths shall faint and be weary,
    and young men shall fall exhausted;
³¹ but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint.

By telling God I want Him to be first in my life, that I can't do it on my own and I don't want to, I allow room in my life for Him to work. Psalm 121 says he will never fall asleep on us (like Elijah mocked the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:27. Curious? That chapter is worth the read.) Psalm 121 says God will keep us, won't "let your foot be moved," will keep "you from all evil," and will "keep your going out and your coming in."

Basically, God will take care of you.

And in this passage this morning, God told me that even though my head felt like it was trying to crack open, He was taking care of me. And after reading that and praying (and some coffee,) my head stopped hurting. Some people would say it was just the caffeine that helped. I say it was God. So when the pain comes, I choose to say "Thank you God for my migraine, because it is in this pain that I remember to turn to You for help." And He never fails to answer. Whether it is to provide healing, or to put an invisible hand on my heart to comfort me, or to wrap me in a giant, tender hug. Would I like it to be healing every time? Of course. But I'm not picky, because God doesn't have to help me.

But He chooses to.

In Christ and Love,

Gabrielle

G: Deuteronomy 6:4-5

“'Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.'” Deuteronomy 6:4-5 ESV

 These verses (and this chapter, really) speak volumes to me. Deut. 6:4 has always been one of my favorite verses, ever since I heard it a few years ago. I never knew what it meant, but it has always touched my heart, striking something so deep in my core that my soul can't help but worship. Thanks to a footnote in my Bible, I now know what it means. Basically, it's reemphasizing that there is only one God. The footnote's alternate translation reads "The LORD is our God, the LORD alone."

I've always had a huge problem with priorities. In school, chores, and scheduling I always seem to pick the smallest, least important, and most trivial thing to spend my energy on. Well, "waste" is a better word. I waste it on Facebook. Neopets. Pinterest. Worry. Anxiety. Stress. Fear. I let not one but all of these become my priority on a day-to-day basis. And while (except for the last four) these things aren't bad in and of themselves, they've become bad. How?

By spending all of my time on those things, I am saying with my actions that God is not the only Lord of my life. Now, I'm not intentionally putting those things as idols. Like a lot of sins, it "just seems to happen." But when I'm on Facebook or texting instead of doing my quiet time, I am telling God through my actions that He's not as important as my technology.

And because I've let my list of seven take the place of God's hand in my day-to-day doings, life has become a LOT more stressful and a lot less certain. I start to panic about things that I never panic about when I trust God to take care of it! Instead I've told God that I can run my life all by myself.

And the truth is, I can't. I'm not strong enough. I'm weak, and I don't have the capacity to handle everything myself without burning myself out like an overused lightbulb.

And so it is with a crying and repentant heart that I pray with the deepest part of my soul the one, worshipful sentence that has captured my heart:

"The LORD our God, the LORD is one."

And so I'm starting anew in this great romance with the Bridegroom, with my precious love Jesus. It is with a renewed spark and a refilled heart that I pick up the pen, put down the phone, and write over and over, "The LORD our God, the LORD is one."

My heartbeat. My battlecry. My love. My all.

"The LORD our God, the LORD is one."

He is my one. My eternal. My all.

Life feels so right when He's first in my life. Not my boyfriend. Not my friends. Not my stupid fears of uncertainty. Not technology, and certainly not school.

But Christ alone.

In Christ and Love,
Gabrielle

G: Numbers 10:35-36

Numbers 10:35-36

English Standard Version (ESV)

 ³⁵ And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, “Arise, O LORD, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.” ³⁶ And when it rested, he said, “Return, O LORD, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.”

 This to me is a brilliant reminder of God's power and might. God's enemies have to scatter before him, because he is God. All that is dark tries to hide in the presence of the Father of Lights, and it tries to get away because it can't bear to be brought to light. I incorporate these two verses into my prayers as I start the day. When they move the ark, the Israelites are asking God to go before them on the path they travel, and when they rest they are asking him to be with them. In this way God guided and went with them on their travels, driving out their enemies and bringing them into the land promised them.

My prayer today is that God guides me and goes with me through every instance and scenario I run into today, and that he may be glorified by my thoughts, words, and actions.

In Christ and Love,
Gabrielle

G: Psalm 119:97-104

Psalm 119:97-104
English Standard Version (ESV)
Mem

 ⁹⁷ Oh how I love your law!
   It is my meditation all the day.
⁹⁸ Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
   for it is ever with me.
⁹⁹ I have more understanding than all my teachers,
   for your testimonies are my meditation.
¹⁰⁰ I understand more than the aged,
   for I keep your precepts.
¹⁰¹ I hold back my feet from every evil way,
   in order to keep your word.
¹⁰² I do not turn aside from your rules,
   for you have taught me.
¹⁰³ How sweet are your words to my taste,
   sweeter than honey to my mouth!
¹⁰⁴ Through your precepts I get understanding;
   therefore I hate every false way.

103 and 104 are what caught my attention this morning, perhaps because I'm steeping hot tea while writing. Even with all of the sweeteners and artificial sweeteners and halfway-but-not-quite-natural sweeteners that society has come up with, it's hard to beat honey. Honey is pretty much the epitome of a 100% natural sweetener, harvested or eaten by many predators, humans and animals alike. If honey is so coveted for its sweetness, how much more should God's words be coveted! The Bible says that God's words are "sweeter than honey to my mouth!" Like I said, hard to beat honey. And yet God wins in a landslide.

Sometimes when I'm craving food (usually sweet food,) I'll sit down and read my Bible instead. I read somewhere that sometimes when we're having a craving that we associate with food, it's really our soul crying out to satisfy the craving for spiritual food--the Word of God. I've found that to be true, and reading my Bible  has satisfied my strange cravings before. I think of it in association to tea--when tea doesn't taste just right, most people go for the honey. When life doesn't taste just right, a lot of people go for the Bible. That's not to say that's the only time we should go for our Bibles--that's not the case at all! Where honey makes tea sweeter, the Bible, God's word, makes life sweeter. It doesn't necessarily make it easier. It makes it bearable and beautiful despite the trial and hardship.

And in the rest of this section (Mem) you can see what kind of sweetness God's words adds to life! "Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies...more understanding than all my teachers...understand more than the aged*...through your precepts I get understanding." (*There's a footnote in my Bible that says "aged" can be read as "elders" as well.) Who wouldn't want to be wiser and more understanding?

Today my goal is to remember that instruction from God is always sweet, even if it's discipline or a warning. Remember--sweet doesn't mean easy. It means beautiful and full of love.

In Christ and Love,
Gabrielle