Now then, little man, for a short while fly from your business; hide yourself for a moment from your turbulent thoughts. Break off now your troublesome cares, and think less of your laborious occupations. Make a little time for God, and rest for a while in him. Anselm of Canterbury
There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep, that our pride is drowned in its infinity. Charles Spurgeon
God’s essence is knowable. Yet God is incomprehensible. The more we know about God, the more we realize how little we know. Hence, theologians stress that God is at once knowable and incomprehensible.
John Frame points to an illustration used by Norman Shepherd to teach God’s incomprehensibility and knowability. Picture a circle:
- The area of the circle represents the knowledge of God.
- The circumference of the circle represents our exposure to the mystery of God.
As we truly grow in our knowledge of God, we will have an increasing exposure to the mystery of God.
God is not an unknowable haze which of which we can view only the outer edges. God has revealed attributes about his character such that we can see qualities at the center of his being. God is “holy” and “love” through and through.
Contemplating the vastness of God is not merely an intellectual exercise.
- Meditating on God rebukes our pride and self-sufficiency. As I pointed out in Unpacking Forgiveness, 2 ants looking up at Mt. Everest don’t argue about which ant is taller.
- At the same time, meditating on God encourages our hearts that God has freely chosen to reveal himself so that we can confidently know our Creator.
- Meditating on the vastness of God encourages us that eternity will not be boring. We will grow in exiting ways in our knowledge of God for all of eternity, yet be no closer to knowing God exhaustively.
- A contemplating of God’s greatness encourages us that his wisdom is reliable and causes us to give thanks that God’s Word makes wise the sin.
- It causes us to tremble at his holiness and our sinfulness.
Hence, we exclaim with Paul:
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
“For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
“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. To him be glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:33-36.
Your comment, “We will grow in exciting ways in our knowledge of God for all of eternity, yet be no closer to knowing God exhaustively” is giving me pause for thot’. Can you elaborate on this? My seventy years of sermons never covered enough on this topic. 🙂
Betts, because God is infinite – – then it means our journey to know him is one we will never complete. Hence, we will never come any nearer knowing God exhaustively or completely.
This is good news. It means for all of eternity, we can make new discoveries about God and His Creation – – each more exciting than the one the day before.