Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like an eagle; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint. -- Isaiah 40:28-31 (NIV)

If you have never developed a relationship with God, it may be because you have a distorted, negative relationship with your earthly father. If your earthly father was demanding, controlling, a perfectionist, you may think of God that way. But that's not true. In all of His dealings with us, God is the picture of love. Accept that God loves you right now, the way you are, eating disorder and all. Yes -- it's true! God knows that you can't do it on your own. He wants to help you, and cover you with His grace.

The more we know about God, and His love and acceptance of us, the more we will be able to embrace ourselves and each other, and the less we'll struggle with comparing ourselves to others and striving for perfection and approval.

God's word is living and active. The Bible says we are created in God's likeness, but who is He? Whether you have (had) a great dad, or not-so-great dad, you can at least picture how a loving father acts toward his children. With love, compassion, and wisdom, he guides and corrects his children, enabling them to live rich and full lives.

God continually defines Himself in the Bible by saying who and what He is, and what He is not. He says what He loves and what He hates so that we can understand who He is. What He chooses and wills, what He wants and does not want, what He thinks and what He does -- all these things define who He is. And we define ourselves by much of the same functions.

He defines Himself by who He is:

• I am your shield -- Genesis 15:1
• I am God Almighty -- Genesis 17:1
• I am the Lord -- Exodus 6:6
• I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God -- Exodus 20:5
• I am compassionate -- Exodus 22:27
• I am holy -- Lev. 11:44
• I am the first and I am the last -- Isaiah 48:12
• I, the Lord, am your Savior -- Isaiah 60:16
• I am merciful -- Jeremiah 3:12

He defines Himself by saying what He feels and thinks:

• My heart pounds within me, I cannot keep silent -- Jeremiah 4:19
• I am tired of relenting -- Jeremiah 15:6 NASB
• I, the Lord, love justice -- Isaiah 61:8
• I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts -- Ezekiel 6:9
• I love you with an everlasting love. So I will continue to show you my kindness -- Jeremiah 31:3

He defines Himself by what He chooses to do:

• I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me -- Proverbs 8:17
• I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you -- Ezekiel 36:26
• I will not leave you all alone. I will come back to you -- John 14:18
• I am leaving you peace. I am giving you peace. I don't give you the kind of peace that the world gives. So don't be troubled or cowardly -- John 14:27
• Don't be afraid because I am with you. Don't be intimidated: I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will support you with my victorious right hand -- Isaiah 41:10
• I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope. -- Jeremiah 29:11
• But I will establish my covenant with you -- Genesis 6:18
• I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you -- Genesis 12:2
• I will instruct you. I will teach you the way you should go. I will advise you as my eyes watch over you -- Psalm 32:8
• When you go through the sea, I am with you. When you go through rivers, they will not sweep you away. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned, and the flames will not harm you -- Isaiah 43:2

Most often His attributes, feelings and thoughts are defined in the third person:

• The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him -- Psalm 103:13
• My child, don't ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don't be discouraged when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights -- Proverbs 3:11-12
• Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern -- Matthew 6:31-33
• The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He made known his way to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: the Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love -- Ps. 103:6-8
• The Lord is merciful, compassionate, patient, and always ready to forgive -- Psalm 145:8
• God is faithful and reliable. If we confess our sins, he forgives them and cleanses us from everything we've done wrong -- 1 John 1:9
• The Lord is my shepherd. I am never in need -- Psalm 23:1
• He is the healer of the brokenhearted. He is the one who bandages their wounds -- Psalm 147:3
• He comforts us whenever we suffer. That is why whenever other people suffer, we are able to comfort them by using the same comfort we have received from God -- 2 Corinthians 1:4
• If you forgive the failures of others, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don't forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failures -- Matthew 6:14-15
• No one can please God without faith. Whoever goes to God must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who seek him -- Hebrews 11:6
• God is fair. He won't forget what you've done or the love you've shown for him -- Hebrews 6:10a
• Don't love money. Be happy with what you have because God has said, "I will never abandon you or leave you" -- Hebrews 13:5
• God is generous to everyone and doesn't find fault with them -- James 1:5
• Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest -- Matthew 11:28
• Since you are precious to me, you are honored and I love you. I will exchange others for you. Nations will be the price I pay for your life -- Isaiah 43:4
• God has rescued us from the power of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of his Son, whom he loves -- Colossians 1:13
• It is God who produces in you the desires and actions that please him -- Philippians 2:13

Attributes of God

• Omniscient - God knows all. He has a perfect knowledge of everything that is past, present, or future. -- Job 37:16; Psalm 139:1-6
• Omnipotent - God possesses all power. He is able to bring into being anything that He has decided to do, with or without the use of any means. -- Genesis 18:14; Job 42:2; Jeremiah 32:27
• Omnipresent - God is present everywhere, in all the universe, at all times, in the totality of His character. --- Proverbs 15:3; Jere. 23:23-24
• Eternal - God has no beginning, and He has no end. He is not confined to the finiteness of time or of man's reckoning of time. He is, in fact, the cause of time. -- Deuteronomy 32:40; Isaiah 57:15
• Immutable - God is always the same in His nature, His character, and His will. He never changes, and He can never be made to change. -- Psalm 102:25-27; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8
• Incomprehensible - Because God is God, He is beyond the understanding of man. His ways, character, and acts are higher than ours. We only understand as He chooses to reveal Himself to us. -- Job 11:7, Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 11:33
• Self-existent - There is nothing upon which God depends for His existence except Himself. The whole basis of His existence is within Himself. There was a time when there was nothing but God Himself. He added nothing to Himself by creation. -- Exodus 3:14; John 5:26
• Infinite - The realm of God has no limits or bounds whatsoever. -- 1 Kings 8:27; Psalm 145:3
• Transcendent - God is above His creation, and He would exist if there were no creation. His existence is totally apart from His creatures or creation. -- Isaiah 43:10;55:8-9
• Sovereign - God is totally, supremely, and preeminently sovereign over all His creation. There is not a person or thing that is not under His control and His foreknown plan. -- Daniel 4:35
• Holy - God is a morally excellent, prefect being. His being is pure in every aspect. -- Leviticus 19:2; Job 34:10; Isaiah 47:4;57:15
• Righteous - God is always good. It is essential to His character. He always does the right thing. Ultimately, since He is God, whatever He does is right. He is the absolute. His actions are always consistent with His character, which is love. -- Deut. 32:4; Psalm 119:142
• Just -In all of His actions, God acts with fairness. Whether He deals with man, angels, or demons. He acts in total equity by rewarding righteousness and punishing sin. Since He knows all, every decree is absolutely just. -- Numbers 14:18;23:19; Psalm 89:14
• Merciful - God is an actively compassionate being. He responds in a compassionate way toward those who have opposed His will in their pursuit of their own way. -- Psalm 62:12;89:14;116:5; Romans 9:14-16; Jeremiah 3:12
• Long-suffering - God's righteous anger is slow to be kindled against those who fail to listen to His warnings or obey His instructions. The eternal longing for the highest good for His creatures holds back His holy justice. -- Numbers 14:18; 2 Peter 3:9
• Wise - God's actions are based on His character, which allows Him to chose righteous ends and to make fitting plans to achieve those ends. -- Isaiah 40:28; Daniel 2:20
• Loving - God's goodness causes Him to give Himself for another, even to the laying down of His own life. This attribute causes Him to desire the other's highest good without any thought for Himself. This love is not based upon worth, response, or merit of the object being loved. -- Jere. 31:3; Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:8

• Good - This attribute of God causes Him to give to others in a way which has no motive and is not limited by what the recipients deserve.-- 2 Chronicles 5:13; Psalm 106:1

  • The Lord is good. His mercy endures forever. His faithfulness endures throughout every generation. His mercy toward us is powerful -- Psalm 100:5;117:2
  • The Lord is good and decent. That is why he teaches sinners the way they should live -- Psalm 25:8
  • The Lord is good. He is a fortress in the day of trouble. He knows those who seek shelter in him -- Nahum 1:7
  • You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, full of mercy toward everyone who calls out to you -- Psalm 86:5
  • The Lord is good to everyone and has compassion for everything he has made -- Psalm 145:9
  • Don't you realize that it is God's kindness that is trying to lead you to him and change the way you think and act? -- Romans 2:4
  • Look at how kind and severe God can be. He is severe to those who fell, but kind to you if you continue to hold onto his kindness -- Romans 11:22a
  • Thanks be to the Lord, who daily carries our burdens for us. God is our salvation -- Psalm 68:19
  • Our Lord is great, and his power is great. There is no limit to his understanding -- Psalm 147:5 [God's kingdom is not just talk, it is power -- 1 Cor. 4:20]
  • God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in times of trouble -- Psalm 46:1
  • He will put his angels in charge of you to protect you in all your ways -- Psalm 91:11
• Wrathful - There is within God a hatred for all that is unrighteous, and an unquenchable desire to punish all unrighteousness. Whatever is inconsistent with Him must ultimately be consumed. -- Exodus 34:6-7; 2 Chron. 19:2; Romans 1:18

There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to Him:

1. Haughty eyes (scornfully and condescendingly proud)
2. A lying tongue
3. Hands that shed innocent blood
4. A heart that devises wicked schemes
5. Feet that are quick to rush into evil
6. A false witness who pours out lies
7. A man that stirs up dissension among brother

Appreciate the Mystery and the Unknown

God is so awesome that the more we know Him, the more we realize we don't know Him. This is where worship begins. Begin to appreciate the things that you cannot figure out about Him, and let them be. This is why we call him God. If you can know everything about Him, then He is no longer God - you are. Worship is mystery. Get out of a black and white mentality that puts God in a box. He is much greater than that!

What can we say about all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us? -- Romans 8:31

Action Item: List the 10 best characteristics you can think of in a great father. Now read the list again, and know that God the Father is all of that and more. He is your perfect Father, and he is ready, willing, and able to love you with perfect love.

I will acknowledge the Lord's acts of mercy, and sing the praises of the Lord, because everything that the Lord has done for us. He has done many good things for the nation of Israel because of his compassion and his unlimited mercy. -- Isaiah 63:7

When we review how such things happened, we should not conclude that this happens only to certain "special" people. All human beings are part of God's creation and can avail themselves of guidance and direction. The more serious problem is that guidance and direction are sometimes ignored or rejected. I'll go about my affairs today with the knowledge that God is making the important decisions in my life. I'll come out where God wants me to be.

• God is like... BAYER ASPIRIN ~ He works miracles.
• God is like... a FORD ~ He's got a better idea.
• God is like... COKE ~He's the real thing.
• God is like... HALLMARK CARDS ~ He cares enough to send His very best.
• God is like... TIDE ~He gets the stains out that others leave behind.
• God is like... GENERAL ELECTRIC ~ He brings good things to life.
• God is like... SEARS ~ He has everything.
• God is like... ALKA-SELTZER ~ Try him, you'll like Him.
• God is like... SCOTCH TAPE ~ You can't see him, but you know He's there.
• God is like... DELTA AIRLINES ~ He's ready when you are.
• God is like... ALLSTATE ~ You're in good hands with Him.
• God is like... VO-5 Hair Spray ~ He holds through all kinds of weather.
• God is like... DIAL SOAP ~ Aren't you glad you have Him? Don't you wish everybody did?
• God is like... the U.S. POST OFFICE ~ Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet nor ice will keep Him from His appointed destination.

Prayer ~

Now that you know God, ask God to help you walk in the truth ~

Father, I acknowledge that You are good and that everything You do is good. Thank You that You don't make mistakes, and that You can be trusted with every detail of this world, and my life. By faith, I accept that You have my best interests at heart, and that You are always going to fulfill Your perfect plan in my life, and in the lives of those I love. Please forgive me for the times I have doubted your wisdom, Your goodness, and Your love. I confess that I know so little of You and Your ways, and that my view of You is often flawed and not according to Your truth. Please teach me to know and love and trust You as you really are. In Jesus' name. Amen.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know his incomparably great power for us who believe. -- Esphesians 1:18-19

Guidelines For Prayer