Big view of God

My wife and I recently took a trip where we ascended 178 stairs to the gallery of a 148-foot-tall lighthouse. Once we caught our breath, the view took it. We could see for miles. The height gave us a bigger perspective of everything around us. Possessing a big view of God has a similar effect.

Psalm 137 is a song of ascent that repeats the phrase "for his steadfast love endures forever" 26 times. The psalmist repeats this phrase taking the reader through a funnel that begins with a great view of God, narrowing down to the necessities for everyday life. Possessing a big view of God helps to put everything else in perspective. There are three reminders that a big view of God generates.

First, a big view of God compels us to remember where we've been pressing you boldly to tomorrow. You will never know God's future for you if you do not stop and remember your past. A word of caution, though, remembering the past is not the same as living in it. A car has a review mirror so you can see where you've come. You look through the windshield to see where you are going. A big view of God pushes us to tomorrow, not ensnaring you to the past.

A big view of God also reminds us of his nature. In verse 24, the psalmist recounts how God had rescued him. I have spent over two decades working with the addicted, the self-righteous, those who don't think they need grace, those who believe they can never receive grace, and others who cannot get enough of grace. One of the many conclusions I have come to is that God does want the best for you.

I've seen God deliver the victim and making them whole. I've seen marriages and families with so many issues that dysfunction feels like a compliment, transformed. All because they chose in faith to believe that God wanted the best for them.

Living by faith with a big view of God can take your breath away. Living by faith affords you a perspective that is freeing. Yet, living by faith has many challenges. Living in a broken world is not for the faint of heart. Hardships are not faced alone but with the One who is never caught by surprise.