When God is Silent, Words of Endurance
What is God Really Like?
There are many ways we get to know people. We get to know them by intimate, face-to-face and eye-to-eye conversation. We get to know them by seeing how they relate to other people – how they smile when they play with a child, how they speak when they resolve a conflict. We get to know them by the way they leap into the air when the home team scores, by the way they sit down at the end of a long day. We can get to know them by what they read and what amuses them. We get to know them by observing what delights them, what angers them, and what saddens them. By getting to know a person, we learn whether or not we can trust that person.
It is no different in our relationship with God. Sometimes we find it difficult to trust Him simply because we don’t know Him very well. Yet the Bible is overflowing with images and portraits of God. On page after page of Scripture, God reveals Himself – who He is, how He loves, what He hates. Sometimes we see Him interacting with people. Sometimes we discover who He is by what He says. At other times we see Him through the eyes of His followers. Sometimes God thunders in anger. At other times He overflows with delight. From the Bible, we have collected a mini-gallery of snapshots of God. We hope these images will help you know Him better so that you can trust Him more fully, even during your darkest hours.
God describes Himself as compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abound in love and faithfulness (Exodus 34:5-6).
God loves thousands and forgives wickedness, rebellion, and sin. He executes sure and perfect justice (Exodus 34:7).
God is spirit, the essence and breath of life itself. He is supernatural; He is not material. Thus, He is our source of life and resting place (John 4:24; John 7:37-39).
God is light, and there is no trace of darkness or shadow of Him. So we can find Him even during our times of darkness (James 1:17; 1 John 1:5).
God is a consuming fire and is determines to rid the universe of evil. So we must walk in reverence and humility before Him (Psalm 97:3-10; Hebrews 12:29).
God is omnipresent, filling the universe in all its parts, so we are never alone (Psalm 139:7-10; Jeremiah 23:24).
God is sovereign, so He is the supreme authority. Nothing surprises Him. Nothing sneaks by Him. He is in control, therefore we can trust Him (1 Chronicles 29:12; Ephesians 1:11).
God is omnipotent, so He is all-powerful. He will do whatever He wills, and He wills to love us and rescue us from our sins (Job 42:2; Matthew 19:26).
God is omniscient, so He knows all things – past, present, and future – perfectly (Psalm 139:1-6; Hebrews 4:13).
God is holy, pure, and has perfect moral integrity. He keeps His promises, doesn’t lie, and has no questionable attributes (Isaiah 6:1-6; Hebrews 6:18).
God is immutable, meaning he hasn’t, won’t and can’t change. So we can cling to Him when everything else is shaky (Hebrews 13:8; James 1:17).
God alone is truly good. He displays His goodness in everything He does, so we can trust Him heart even when we don’t understand His ways (Psalm 34:8; Nahum 1:7).
God is merciful and compassionate. He rescues, guides, forgives, and comforts us (Psalm 103:8-14; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
God is gentle. He acts tenderly toward His children, especially when they are weak and afflicted (Isaiah 40:11; Isaiah 42:3; Matthew 11:29).
God is so deep, vast, mysterious, and awesome that we can’t begin to understand Him in this life (Isaiah 40:27-28; 1 Corinthians 13:12).
God is love and is loving toward all that He has made. His love is greater than we can imagine (Psalm 103:11; Psalm 145:17; John 3:16; Ephesians 3:16-19).
