When did you last go on holiday? What was the scenery like? Did you stay near the sea, in a bustling city, or near a mountain in the middle of nowhere? How would you describe the place you stayed at to a friend who had never been? You’d probably use phrases such as “it’s like…”
By using their past experiences, you can quickly create word pictures to communicate an unfamiliar place or experience with your friend.
Often, we assume that God is basically like us – only more clever and powerful… But, in fact, it is easier to say what He is not than to understandwho He is.
But what if the thing we’re trying to describe is so completely strange and alien that there are no past experiences to draw on? Whatever comparison we use just creates a false picture.
This is one of the challenges we face when trying to understand the God of the Bible. Often, we assume that God is basically like us – only more clever and powerful. The big man in the sky. But, in fact, it is easier to say what He is not than to understand who He is.
This can be seen in the very first sentence of the Bible, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The implication? There was a time when there was nothing but this Eternal Being. Can we grasp the concept of a time (can I even call it that?) when time, space and matter did not exist? Can we appreciate what true nothingness actually is? Not really, because whatever we think of is not “no-thing”.
It gets stranger. The Bible claims this Being needs nothing outside of Himself. This is foreign to our own experience of existence – we all have needs, longings and hopes. And we use solitary confinement as a punishment. But the Creator was and always will be, perfectly happy and fulfilled in Himself.
“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counsellor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things.” (Paul’s Letter to the Romans, chapter 11, verses 34-36)
“All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?” (The Book of Isaiah, chapter 40, verses 17-18)
The Bible claims to be the revelation from God. Through pictures and poetry, songs and stories, letters and historical accounts, the curtain is pulled back on this grand mystery for all who are willing to listen.
Who is God? That’s the big question of life! For, if you think it over, you will see that finding the answer will go a long way to understanding who you are too.
Your thoughts are welcome! Please feel free to leave some feedback, questions or disagreements.
Yours Truthfully 
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