By Listen to me, Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am he; I am the first and I am the last. My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they all stand up together (Isaiah 48:12-13, NIV).
I recall, from my childhood, two men in our community who physically seemed larger than life. Since I was a small child, I’m not sure how tall or heavy they really were. However, to me, they were very imposing men.
Bernard was one of them. He was a tall, broad shouldered man with a really long beard. I remember him always wearing coveralls and always being accompanied by two huge dogs. He was a war veteran who rarely spoke to anyone. Honestly, I was somewhat afraid of him.
Clarence, my next door neighbor, was the other man. He was also a big man who lived alone and didn’t seem very friendly.
One day, Clarence came over to our house carrying a brown and white puppy. I saw him talking to my dad. Somehow he talked Dad into letting me have the puppy. He brought it to me and said, “Here boy, I thought you might want your own dog.” Brownie was my companion for years, and I looked at Clarence in a totally different way. My perception of him had been inaccurate.
Sometimes our perception of God is the opposite of my perception of these men. Instead of God being larger than life, we make our problems bigger than Him. I encourage you to make God big in your life. Start by looking at the Biblical description of Him.
His Word alone was sufficient to bring creation into existence. Hear the words of Jesus in Matthew 4: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” His Word is powerful; His Word is bigger than life to us. Now, look at the description of His presence.
In Isaiah 66:1, God declares, “The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.” His presence is imposing! He occupies all space, time, and eternity. Yes, He is bigger than life — but so is His love.
Do you know that God loves you so much that He is thinking about you right now? Psalm 139:17 states that His thoughts toward you are precious and great in number. Make no mistake — He wants you saved and He wants you blessed. All you need to do for that to happen is to make God big in your life.
Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.
Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter — Breanna.
Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.
by leaps and bounds 