A Temporal View to a Boundless God

Awesome was a word that I used often in my youth, growing up in the 80s and 90s. It was a word of expression, something good, something great, something unexpected. Yet, the true meaning of awesome describes none of these concepts. To see something awesome is to see something that fills you with awe.

Awesome is a word that can define my wonder at God every time I consider a revelation of His character, nature, magnificence, love or goodness. But I can only view them through a mirror dimly, as Paul speaks. There is much He has left for us to find out when we see Him face to face.

One of these mysteries is what things look like on the other side of infinity.

Something finite is something that is limited with a beginning and end. The first events of creation were the creation of light, time (day/night) and space with boundaries. We live in a finite world; time had a start and slowly unwinds until its eventual end.

Yet, God does not see time and space through the scope of limitations. As time and space are the limitations to our own perspectives, we often can be tempted to transpose our perspectives onto God, imagining God to see things with the same scope.

When God introduced himself to Moses, he introduced himself to him as “I Am”.  “I Am” is a profound statement that, when considered, actually is not defined by time and space. While Moses heard it millennia ago, in a land separated from me by many nations and seas, that statement is as present and recent as this very moment for all mankind. For us to say “I Am”, we define a moment that passes at the time of its observance. Moses heard that statement in a moment, but for God, the statement speaks of a present action that is in itself infinite. It does not define a past time for future time; it exists in the same reality that is undefined by time and space.

So, what does this mean for us?

Our faith is our connection with something that transcends reality and the limitations of our perspective. Have you ever prayed and “known” an answer was to come? Or just “known” to call someone? The Holy Spirit within us knows the mind of God and His perspective. It draws us to actions and faith beyond our comprehension with a “knowing” that is foolishness to those the world would consider wise (1 Corinthians 1:27). Even our answer to God’s call is often an answer to an invitation that we would not comprehend in full – yet we just knew to say yes.  

I like reading and hearing the testimonies of people who have done great things, and so often they have found themselves in peril – at the end of their own ability and talent. Yet, they knew that they were protected and would indeed be victorious no matter their vulnerability. Such knowledge was not merely a deep hope, but an apprehension of something beyond their comprehension or control.

I encourage you to consider with wonder who God is. I love God; I love His word and theology. The more I see God through His word and what has been written about Him, the more I am filled with awe at His great power and love for us. Inversely, I have found that when I lose my curiosity and wonder, I stop seeing Him in wonderful ways.

For me, it fills me with awe each day, and I pray that you may find the same awe and be filled with wonder and faith ever more each day.