“God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock? God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect.”
Psalm 18:30-32 NLT
David knows much about God, but he still asks the question, “Who is God”? David gained his knowledge of God in all those long hours while he guarded his father Jessie’s sheep, as he tinkled away with his harp, making up songs of worship and praise, and praying to his Lord. And David would have experienced the loving touch of the Lord, the answers to his prayers, all the time developing a relationship based on love and trust. So David’s question was crafted, not so much because he didn’t know the answer, but because he marvelled about God’s unique place in his world. He was saying that there was only one Being, God Himself, who was capable of doing all that He had done, and continued to do in David’s life. There was and is only One God who is the totally unshakeable Rock, solid and dependable for ever.
But today, many ask the question, “Who is God”? We can type that question into Google, and end up more confused than ever, because of the plethora of faiths and the different belief systems that all claim to know the answer. So it is probably not very wise to look for a quick answer that way. Of course, we pilgrims turn to the Bible for our answers but also we look around us and see God’s handiwork in all that we see. Genesis 1 describes a God who created the universe, including the world on which we stand. And around us are the results of His creation, life so perfectly made and self-sustaining, with the minerals and elements that make that life possible. The evidence is so strong and indisputable that the Bible is disparaging about those who deny His hand in Creation; in fact such Creator-God-deniers are called “fools” (Psalm 14:1a, “Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God …”). And throughout the Bible we see a love story developing, as our Creator God yearns for a relationship with His created people, mankind, a story that culminated with a Cross that sealed God’s total and unshakeable commitment forever.
In a world that is constantly shaking, with wars, famines, strife, and devastating natural events such as earthquakes and volcanoes, men and women look around for something that is solid and permanent. And end up looking in all the wrong places. They strive for financial security only to find that the world finance system is built on a very shaky foundation, a bit like quicksand, ready to suck into obscurity all those who trust in the pounds and dollars of this world. Human beings look for some way in which they can take control of their destinies, unable to bear the pain of insecurity and fear for the future. Many people, of course, understand that there has to be an eternal and supreme being, because such knowledge is hard-wired within all of us, put there as part of God’s creation. But instead of reaching out to the true God, they concoct all sorts of idols, who they claim can answer their eternal question, “Who is God”. Without realising it, and lacking understanding, they worship man-made edifices that go just far enough to start to relieve them of their pain. Of course other people deny the existence of any Being, man made or otherwise, claiming that the world around us is all an accident, without realising that such a belief becomes an ideological idol in its own right. But David knew the answer to the world’s dilemma – he asked “Who but our God is a solid rock?”, knowing that it is only God who can provide the security that mankind’s heart desperately yearns for.
Of course we remember how the Apostle Paul came to know Christ. He thought he was following God when he set about arresting all followers of the Way, the early Christians. But then something remarkable happened. We read in Acts 9:3-5, “As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!” Paul asked the question “Who are you, Lord?” and the answer from Jesus turned his life around. Paul’s view of God was skewed by a wrong interpretation and understanding of Scripture, something that we must all be conscious of. Some Christians have a tendency to remove from the Bible the bits they don’t like, or think don’t apply today, or add bits to the Bible that they think should be there. A dangerous position to be in?
We pilgrims don’t have to ask this question, “Who is God” because we know the answer. And we find truth and completeness in our knowledge of the only God that there is. We align our lives to Him, with thankful hearts because we managed to find the narrow gate that leads to eternal life. We bow at the feet of the One who, from His eternal perspective, chose us to be His people. Ephesians 1:4-5, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure“. And to all those around us who claim to have found “god” by some other route, we turn to the words of Jesus Himself, recorded by John in a conversation with His disciple, Thomas. “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). There is only one way to Heaven and that is through Jesus.
Father God. Please help us on our journey of becoming “holy and without fault”, and in the process please help us to give an answer to the questions from those around us, about who You are. In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 