June 12
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor? Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him? For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen,” Romans 11:33-36.
An ancient king once asked a famous philosopher, “What is God like?” The philosopher said that he needed some time to consider the question before giving an answer. When the time agreed upon had passed by, he asked for more time – twice as much time – before giving an answer. When the second amount of time had passed by, he asked for an extended period of time without any limitations.
The philosopher did a lot of research; he thought and thought. He used every avenue of human knowledge available to him. As we say, he left no stone unturned. He read many books, except the Bible. Finally, on the basis of all of his human knowledge, he told the king that he could not answer the question, “What is God like?”
As Christians, we have an advantage when it comes to answering this question. We go to God’s Word, in which He reveals Himself to us. From His Word, we know that He is the only true God, that He is triune (three in one – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), that He is eternal, holy, almighty, all-knowing, present everywhere, patient, loving, just, merciful, and forgiving.
Yet, in spite of what we know from Holy Scripture, we must admit that the one true God is so great that we must stand before Him in awe and wonderment and say, “How great Thou art!” Our text begins with a song of praise: “How great Thou art in riches!” God indeed is rich. He is the owner and the possessor of all things. Through the psalmist, He says, “Every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know the birds of the mountain, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and all its fullness,” Psalm 50:10-12.
As the apostle Paul wrote, “We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out,” 1 Timothy 6:7. We must recognize that what we possess are gifts from God. As the apostle James writes, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights,” James 1:17. We are reminded by the psalmist to look to the Lord for His continued blessing. The psalmist says, “The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing,” Psalm 145:15-16.
However, God’s blessings for the body and the gifts for time are but a small thing when compared to the spiritual blessings which our Lord has provided for us. If we stand in awe and amazement before the material things that we see in this world, what shall we say when we behold the depth of His spiritual riches that He offers us by His grace and mercy? Think of the riches that are offered to us through God’s Son – forgiveness of sins, life and salvation, the promise of peace and pardon, the assurance of knowing that we are children of the heavenly Father by faith in Christ Jesus. When we behold how richly He has blessed us for both body and soul, we are moved to sing, “How great Thou art!”
Through the prophet Isaiah, the one true God raises the question with which we began: “What is God like?” Isaiah wrote, “To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him? . . . ‘To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal?’ says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see,” Isaiah 40:18, 25 – and then he directs you to the almighty Creator of heaven and earth.
“Of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” The credit for creating this universe goes to God! The credit for preparing salvation for sinners goes to God! The credit for calling us into His family and for making us His dear children goes to God! The apostle signs it and seals it with an, “Amen!” That’s how it is! On this Trinity Sunday, we stand in awe of Him and sing, “How great Thou art!” Amen!