things far too wonderful.

Happy Wednesday everyone! I have decided that Wednesdays are one of my favorite days here in Hawaii. I think it's because Mondays and Tuesdays are so stressful and after Wednesday night, the rest of the week is so chill! Anyways...

I was thinking recently about the retreat my school had up in Hana a few weeks ago. We were so blessed to have an amazing speaker flown in from Colorado who constantly challenged us in every talk. On the first day, he asked us each to make a list of things we believed about God, things we adore about Him, and verses to back it all up. Sounds pretty easy, right? I made my way over some cliffs and finally found a quiet place to settle, watch the crashing waves, and make this list. My mind went blank. All I could come up with was words like powerful, Holy, loving, etc. All the words I have grown up hearing but in that moment, they weren't carrying the weight they should. God has brought me out of some pretty heavy stuff in my life, yet I couldn't think of any words to describe Him. It was as if I didn't know Him at all.

After much frustration, I remembered our speaker had mentioned something about the last few chapters of Job. I pulled out my Bible and opened to Job chapter 38 and the first thing God asks Job is "Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them." (Job 38:2-3 NLT). The Lord goes on to ask Job a series of questions over the next 4 chapters questioning Job about what he knows about God. In chapter 42, Job replies,

 "I know that you can do anything and no one can stop you. You asked, 

'Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?' It is I - and 

I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful 

for me. You said, 'Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, 

and you must answer them.' I had only heard about you before, but now I 

have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and 

I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance." (Job 42:2-6 NLT).

His response really hit home for me. I realized that yes, I still know God and I do have a relationship with Him but I can't limit what I know about Him to the things that I have seen of Him. He is so much more than that and He has so much more to show me about himself! I couldn't think of anything to say because I was getting too comfortable in what I have seen of Him so far even though none of it was wrong. It is scary  how we can let ourselves fall into such a small view of God without even realizing it.

So what about you?
Who do you believe God to be?
What are things that you adore about Him?
Do you have a small view of Him or a big view?
How can you allow Him to teach you new things?

"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." - AW Tozer