What is God really like?

I have those five words written on a sticky note posted on my wall. I put it there a year or two ago, and I still haven’t taken it off because I don’t think I’ll ever outgrow it.

So often we imagine God as who we think He is or should be, while ignoring who He tells us He is. Perhaps we do this because our sinful flesh doesn’t like a certain aspect of God’s character, like His holiness or perfect justice. But I think more often it’s because we simply don’t know what God says about Himself.

This is one of the reasons why it’s so important to spend time reading the Scriptures – the Bible is full of stories and exhortations that show us who our God truly is. So let’s look at some of those Scriptures and their implications!

1. He always knows what we need

One of Jesus’ most well-known sayings is found in Matthew 6:31-34.

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ … For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things… do not worry about tomorrow.”

There are so many times in our lives when we can have so much more peace and comfort if we only took our Savior at His word! If we lived each day reminding ourselves that our “Father knows that you need all these things”, how much greater would our joy be? Whether we need money or we need strength, whether we have need of wisdom or clothing – we can take heart knowing that God is not ignorant of these things.

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:19

2. He never contemplates giving up on His children, even for a moment

Almost everyone has heard the phrases, “I will never leave you or forsake you” from Hebrews 13:5 and “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” from Matthew 28:20. But do we really believe these promises God gave to us?

Think of your closest family member or friend. They care for and love you even at your worst moments, and they’ve probably told you they’ll always be there for you. That may be true, and true friends like that are incredibly valuable, but those friends and family are still human.

As human beings, we have moments of temptation and doubt. The most patient saint has voices in their head tempting them to be impatient and selfish, the most loving believer is tempted to regret the sacrifices they’ve made, and the strongest Christian has moments of weakness. But thankfully, our Creator isn’t a mortal man!

Our sovereign, righteous Father never has any moments where He doubts His decision to redeem us, and when He gives us strength, peace and wisdom, He never regrets it later on. Even when we sin after we’ve been saved by Him, He never considers casting us off.

“For I know the thoughts that I have toward you” – Jeremiah 29:11

“God is not a man… that He changes his mind.” – Numbers 23:19

3. He says and does everything exactly how and when we need it

Picture a woman who suddenly announces one day at church that she and her husband are expecting. After everyone congratulates her, there tends to be some people who start giving parenting tips every time they see her in the hallway – whether that advice was solicited or not. They probably mean well, but a lot of times they end up overwhelming the poor woman instead of helping.

Jesus isn’t like that.

In the words of Psalm 103, “He knows our frame.” Our heavenly Father knows when we need comfort over correction, exhortation over encouragement, or firmness rather than gentle whispers. When we feel like we are about to be crushed, Christ comes to us as the good and gentle Shepherd of John 10, not the harsh, condemning Judge of Revelation 20.

Picture beautiful rays of sunlight coming down to earth. On a hot July day, those rays of light are strong and constant, and they may feel heavy and oppressive at times for those who don’t like the summer heat. But on a cool October day, the sunlight peeking through the trees is a welcome moment of warmth and brightness. Depending on the season and the time of day, sunlight can come down to us in different degrees of intensity and brightness. Jesus, in His perfect wisdom and love, is just like that!

I’d like to encourage everyone who’s read this post to make reading the Scriptures a priority in your life. You can’t always rely on your own image of God to be correct – so trust what He says instead!

Even after you’ve read or memorized verses that talk about His character, it’s still a temptation to believe the lies instead. But resist those temptations, and preach the truth to yourself when you feel like you’re about to crumble. He never changes!

Side note: Sorry that this post is a day late, I was really sick yesterday and couldn’t gather the energy to publish a post 😅