Bread for the JourneySample

Down Here

There's a great distance between heaven and Earth. As new areas are discovered, the infinity of the Universe seems to get even wider. Because of this undeniable reality, we tend to see God in a place so distant, far beyond what our finite minds can calculate.

The majesty, the greatness, the infinity of our God is, as Scripture says, incomprehensible. "Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom." (Psalm 145:3, NIV) This means that He cannot be fully known or understood.

It's natural that such a distance exists between Almighty God and us, His creation. God Himself speaks to us about that distance with the example of His mind versus ours. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV)

So, when we talk about God, the mental picture we have is of God somewhere "up there." This image makes us think of ourselves as the ones "down here." That's why, when Moses blessed the tribes of Israel, he said to the tribe of Asher: "The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drove out the enemy before you and commanded, “Destroy them!” (Deuteronomy 33:27, NIV) What a beautiful blessing! The distance between the eternal God who dwells in eternity and them was shortened, so they could see Him close to their lives, "down here."

Moses foreshadowed the glorious truth of salvation in Christ, who, through His sacrifice on the cross, has shortened the distance between the Holy God and sinful humanity. When we believe that Christ died for us, we are made children and become part of God's family. To us, His children, God has given the blessing of having His everlasting arms, "down here" in our human weakness.

Jesus brought us so very close to God that, through faith in His redeeming work, the eternal God has made us His temple. We no longer have to talk about up there or down here; now it's Christ in us. When the enemy tries to make you think God is far away, stand firm on the truth that He lives in you. God hasn't reduced His greatness, His infinity, or His majesty. As His Word says, the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him. He is still unfathomable. He is still God, and He is in us.

What God has shortened is the distance that existed in our relationship. Now we are children, we are His temple. The throne of His grace is so close to us that we can reach it in a prayer. Now, in our "down here," the presence of the eternal God is with us always. “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means 'God with us').” (Matthew 1:23, NIV)