The 4th century church Father, Bishop Augustine of Hippo, is noted as one of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity. History records that one day he was walking along the sea shore meditating and trying to comprehend God. His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed a young boy with a small seashell run out in the edge of the waves, scoop up a shell full of water, run back, and pour it into a hole he had dug. Curious, Augustine walked over and asked him what he was doing. The little boy replied, “Trying to put the ocean in this hole.” Augustine’s thoughts suddenly returned to his efforts of trying to comprehend God and he realized his own futile efforts.
As Paul finished his eleven-chapter exhortation on the greatest of God’s salvation he seems to be overwhelmed and breaks into a song. Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them? For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen (Rom 11:33-36). As the little boy could not pour the vast ocean into a hole he dug, neither can we put the infinite God into a box of our creation.
In a Bible class, we may learn and be able to define words like omnipotent, omniscience, omnipresent, and sovereign in reference to God. However, we must not stop at merely knowing the meaning of such theological words, but we must allow these qualities of God to become a practical part of our everyday life. If God is all-powerful, we never face a problem beyond His ability to overcome. When the LORD appeared to Abraham, He asked, Is anything too hard for the LORD (Gen 18:14)? Jesus said to his disciples, With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (MT 19:26).
The fact the LORD is all-knowing and nothing exist that He does not know is both comforting and frightening. A Christian professor at a local University lectured in one of my classes. He shared that he had spent over forty years researching and studying the housefly. Yet, he admitted he knew little about the fly. I wondered how many professors probably had a similar story, yet God knew all there was to know about every insect, animal, human, planet, star, etc. in the universe. The Psalmist wrote, O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all (Psa 139:1-4). This includes all the good others see and all the hidden sins only we know. Jesus applied this attribute, For your Father knows what you need before you ask Him (Matt 6:8).
During my years of travel, I have visited some lonely, isolated, and dangerous places in the world, but I could always rest in the fact God was all-present. There is no place, where He is not. He is beyond space and time. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me (Psalms 139:7-10). This scripture always helped me during the darkest and loneliness of my times of depression. Even hidden in the isolation of my mind, God was there.
The sovereignty of God simply means He is in control over His creation and rules over all reality. In this chaotic world or the turbulent life you may find yourself experiencing, the practical truth of this attribute is beyond our comprehension. Many may ask, “How can God be in control of this mess?” However, comprehension is not required for the manifestation of God’s greatness. Faith in the written promises of scripture is the beginning point. We can limit the LORD in our personal lives by trying to put Him in a box we created like the hole the little boy was attempting to deposit the ocean. Limitations as lack of faith, theology, tradition, fear, unresolved sin, ignorance of the Biblical truth, etc. are just a few.
I cannot begin to imagine how thousands of my fellow South Carolinians feel on this Sunday morning waking up in an emergency shelter, a hotel, or with friends because the record 1000-year rainfall destroyed their homes last week. Neither can I imagine the suffering of the multitudes that are displaced from their homes and in prison for their faith in Christ. Omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscience, and sovereign are just theological words until we allow God to implement these attributes in our situations. Fill in the hole you dug, the ocean won’t fit and destroy the box you built where God will not fit. He can do the impossible in the most hopeless situation.
Sustaining Word for the Week: Comprehension not required. Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding (Prov 3:5).