Our God Will See Us ThroughSample

ALL PRAISES

By Clay Finnesand

Something we notice early in the book of Genesis is that God represents numerous characteristics simultaneously. For instance, we see that God showed unthinkable creativity in being the artist behind the creation of all things. But at the same time, he also demonstrated remarkable structure. Imagine that… a creative thinker who is also off the charts when it comes to organization!

God had a plan and saw it to completion. And at the same time, he modeled what rest looked like. Six days on, one day off.

We also can’t help but notice his sheer power. His unlimited ability to make everything. He’s the most powerful force in the universe! Yet at the same time, he made himself relatable. He went so far as to have a conversation—a relationship—with his creation. Powerful, yet approachable.

So right off the bat in Scripture, God is set apart from everything. We call that kind of distinction, that goodness, that power—that being set apart—holiness.

And for God to be unlike anything or anyone comes as no surprise as we read the first pages of Scripture. After all, what was being done, what was being created, was a first.

No one had ever done that before.

Shortly after the creation account, we see humanity falling short of God’s holiness. We fell hard. Our desires got the best of us, and it cost us big time. We’ve been stuck in that disaster ever since. You probably already know the story of the fall. But you also probably know that our story didn’t end in the garden.

When the time was just right, God sent his son Jesus to us. While everyone else was trapped in the cycle of sin, Jesus grew up and lived among us without any sin. He never fell short of God’s holiness. Even while being tempted just as we are.

No one had ever done that before.

Then at the peak of his ministry doing all sorts of things no one could or would do, Jesus was arrested, put on trial, and crucified. His holiness had outraged the religious leaders. It held up a mirror to all their inconsistencies and how they used their public prestige to widen an even greater perceived gap between God and man. Yet Jesus used his holiness to bridge the gap.

No one had ever done that before.

Jesus was crucified. Innocently hung for all to see. But then Jesus rose from the dead, and the Father gave him the highest name.

No one had ever done that before.

God is holy in his creativity. He is holy in his saving power. He is holy in his very existence.

For that kind of holiness, there is only one fitting response: our whole hearts and very lives offered into his compassionate and mighty hands. That’s worship.

All our praises.

Not just the sung ones. The life ones. The family ones. The work ones.

The lonely ones and the joyful ones.

God is different from us in all the good ways. To grow in our awareness of his holiness is to grow in our love and awe.

Today, meditate on the holiness of God. Then, offer him all you’ve got. Even if it’s just a limp. Even if you feel like you don’t know how, begin to give your gratitude.

And if you feel like you’re the exception to God’s holy desire to redeem you, or that no one could ever rescue you from disaster…

He’s really good at doing things no one has ever done before.

If you’ve never trusted God before, why not give him a chance?