“Great is our Lord, and mighty in power.”
(Psalm 147:5)
Evidence of the power of Almighty God abounds all around us, as every aspect of creation we observe and enjoy in our world is a result of the counsel of His will and effect of His infinite power. God ascribes creation to Himself as a grand and glorious demonstration of His almighty power, and He upholds this selfsame creation by the infinite power of Jesus Christ, the Word of His power.
If you study physics, astronomy, physiology… or simply take the time to observe the patterns and rhythm of nature itself… you soon realize that nothing less than the infinite power of God could create and sustain everything that is.
The universe was not – until He created it out of nothing. He spread forth the curtains of the heavens. He laid the beams of the earth. He hung the glorious lights of the sun, moon, and stars. He breathed forth all the various sorts of creatures which inhabit His universe. And by nothing more than the commanding word of His mouth were they made! The eternal power of His Word formed every one of the diverse and beautiful creatures and spacious heavenly bodies that we behold all around us every day.
Even more subjective than the world around us, however, is the truth that you and I also exist solely because of God’s infinite power. We were not… and then we were conceived. Sure, God used a secondary cause in your parents. But God made you (Ps. 139:13-16). Ezekiel Hopkins said, “It must necessarily be an Almighty Word, that can call forth a creature out of non-existence, and make it start up into the rank of things that are.”
The apostle Paul bids us to contemplate the infinite power of our great God by observing the world we inhabit: “The invisible things of God from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead,” (Rom. 1:20).
Allow the infinite wonders of His world to move your heart to adore Him… for great and mighty is our Maker, our Creator, our Lord!
Contemplations:
- The Depth of God’s Knowledge. Lord, Your understanding is infinite, eternal. You comprehend all knowledge at once – past and present and future – completely and simultaneously. Your knowledge is also, therefore, unchanging. By one simple knowing You span the infinite spaces of time and place. What a blessing to know my life is in the hands of an all-knowing, all-wise God!
- The Limits of My Understanding. Lord, I get the concept of what infinite looks like in theory, but I cannot know infinite by experience because of my time/space constraints. When I read “His understanding is infinite,” (Psa. 147:5) and “The Lord is a God of knowledge,” how can I ever be proud of what little light and knowledge I may possess? In comparison, what does man know like You know?
- The Incomprehensibility of God. There is no created intelligence that can comprehend who You are, Lord. You know Yourself perfectly, otherwise You could not be God. But to me, You are incomprehensible. You are an infinite being who cannot be contained in any place nor comprehended by any created being, not even the angels. Job 37:23 says, “Touching the Almighty, we cannot find Him out.” You are so incomprehensible, in fact, that it would be easier for us humans to name all the stars of heaven and number the sand of the sea than to comprehend the infiniteness of Your essence. And Your Son shares in this as well, though He makes Your nature and character known to me. His greatness is also unsearchable, but He shows me what I can apprehend of You in Your Word and through the enlightenment of Your Spirit, that I might know a little about You. And for that I am grateful.
Prayer:
O Lord, my heart is overwhelmed when I consider Your greatness, for Your power is without limit and Your understanding beyond measure. You are the Creator of all things, the One who spoke the world into being by the word of Your power. You spread out the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth, and call the stars by name. Not one creature moves apart from Your will; not one event unfolds outside of Your sovereign decree. In You all things consist, and by Your hand all things continue. You are the Almighty, and there is none like You.
Yet in my weakness, I confess how little I comprehend of Your majesty. My mind is finite, my thoughts are small, and my vision is clouded by the frailty of my flesh. I search the heights of wisdom, yet I cannot find You out; I plumb the depths of knowledge, yet I only glimpse the edges of Your ways. How can I, a mere speck of dust, fathom the infinite? My pride deceives me at times, making me think I know something, when in truth, my wisdom is folly before You. Forgive me, Lord, for ever thinking myself wise, when all wisdom belongs to You alone.
I thank You, my God, that though You dwell in unapproachable light, You have made Yourself known through Your Word and through the revelation of Your Son. In Christ, I see the radiance of Your glory, the express image of Your person. By His Spirit, You teach me, instructing my heart with heavenly wisdom. You have not left me in the darkness of my own understanding but have given me the mind of Christ, that I might know You truly. Blessed be Your name for such mercy!
Lord, grant me a heart that delights in Your greatness, a soul that trembles at Your majesty, and a mind that is humbled by Your wisdom. Let me never grow dull to the wonders of Your creation or blind to the evidences of Your power that surround me daily. May I live in constant awe of Your might, knowing that the same God who upholds the universe is the One who upholds me.
I lift my voice in praise to You, O great and mighty God. You are from everlasting to everlasting, the only wise God, whose understanding is infinite, whose power is unsearchable, whose dominion has no end. Be glorified in my life, and let my days be spent in adoration of You, my Creator and my King.
In the name of Jesus Christ, who reveals the Father, I pray. Amen.
Further References for Psalm 147:5
Ps. 48:1; Isa. 40:28; Ps. 145:3; Nah. 1:3; Rom. 11:33; Job 5:9
