All my life I’ve heard the phrase, “God works in mysterious ways.” For years, I’ve tried to discover the verse that points us to this phrase. However, every search would come up empty. There was simply nowhere in the Bible that says God works in mysterious ways. This phrase was created to justify our personal lack of understanding for how He operates. In fact, there are more verses pointing to the reality that He wants to reveal Himself to His children.
“But those who seek the LORD understand all things.” (Proverbs 28:5b, ASV)
“Consider what I say; for the Lord shall give thee understanding in all things.” (2 Timothy 2:7, KJV)
“He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.” (Daniel 2:22, NIV)
God makes it clear that He desires us to understand all things. Though our human minds will never fully grasp the vastness of our expansive Creator, there are an innumerable amount of qualities He reveals to us in His Word. Here are just a few that can help you understand and appreciate how great our God really is!
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1. He is love.
Not only does God love us in the manner described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, He is love.
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:8)
Everything about His nature’s exudes His unconditional love for humanity. He showed His love without a doubt when He gave His life for us.
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13).
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2. He is creative.
With His words, God created the Earth. It is believed that there are over 6 million species of plants and animals. Unique in size, pattern, and ability, each one shows the creative nature of our God! This does not even include the galaxies that are still being discovered. Surely, His works are indescribable.
“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created." (Revelation 4:11)
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3. He is thoughtful.
Before God created humanity, He thought ahead. He ensured we would have land to walk on, a way to measure time, and food to eat (Genesis 1) before we took our first breath. He made sure man would be well taken care of.
Even in our own lives, God created us with an intricate plan in mind. He does not haphazardly create. He thinks of it every detail.
“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:16).
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4. He is dependable.
When God says something, He means it. His words are not empty gestures, but powerful declarations. I love the verse that says His words cannot return void:
“So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)
Everything He says will happen in His time, simply because He said so! He is one who you can count on forever because He cannot and will not lie.
“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19).
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5. He is the King!
God is a king! He sits on a throne and reigns over all the universe (Psalm 47:8). He is the King of all Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16).
He is not one who is uninterested in His Kingdom and its inhabitants. He is one who loves them so much that He was willing to die for them (John 3:16).
Has there ever been a King so loving? Not only that, He gives those that belong to Him the ability to come boldly to His throne and ask for whatever they need.
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16).
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6. He is limitless.
God can do the impossible. I can go a step further and say that there is no such thing as impossible for Him. With His words, He creates universes. He heals the blind and those with incurable diseases in an instant. He is nothing less than miraculous. Through Him and His power, those who believe can do things unimaginable.
“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12)
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7. He is victorious.
There is no battle that’s too big for God. He goes before you in every situation and fights battles on your behalf.
“The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes.” (Deuteronomy 1:30)
This means even before you knew you would face tragedy, He was already creating a solution. He already declared you would win before you even felt the struggle. He has victory not only over your everyday life situations but also for the entire creation (Revelation 19:11-16).
Even in the death of the believer, He gives us victory (1 Corinthians 15:5). As we know, our eternal home is in heaven, where will be no more tears or pain (Revelation 21:4). This is victory!
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8. He is patient.
God is a gentleman. He sees us in our struggles. Rather than condemn us, He reaches out to us with loving arms. He understands that we battle with sin. Yet, instead of pushing us away He extends His grace and mercy to us.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
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9. He is our provider.
God cares for His children. Like a loving father, He ensures His children have all they need and will grant the desires of their heart. The Bible tells us that if He cares that the birds of the air are fed, how much more will He care for us (Matthew 6:26).
No matter how bleak your circumstances may look, know this: God has no desire to see His children suffer and live less than their best life. If you are in need, simply ask and believe He will provide.
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7).
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10. He is jealous for you.
The first command that God gives the Israelites is to have no other God before Him. He desires to have all your affection. So often we allow others, our own greed, athletic team, country, or political party to be our god. We devote maximum energy to idols that cannot heal our hearts or save our souls.
God wants us to recognize that He is our savior, best friend, counselor, and king. He wants us to pursue with Him with more passion than anything else.
“For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24).
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11. He is omniscient.
God knows everything. There is nothing that gets past Him or catches Him by surprise. Because He doesn’t operate in our time, He knows all things that will happen and every possible scenario. Though He is a God that has limitless understanding (Psalm 147:5), He also knows intimate details about you. From the thoughts you think to the hairs on your head, there is no detail of your life that He is unaware of (Matthew 10:30). When we understand that He knows it all, we can trust Him in it all.
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12. He is the same forever.
God does not shift. His nature of being loving, kind, and merciful has never changed. This gives us confidence that if God has done an amazing thing in the past, He can do it again! His heart for communion with man has been present from the beginning of time and will continue throughout eternity.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
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13. He is impartial.
God does not play favorites when it comes to His children. When He says He can do it for one, He can do it for all. He's not one to look at the outward appearance of man to make a determination of His love and grace. Instead, He looks at the heart and cares for those that others may reject. Anyone who chooses to accept Him has access to His favor, regardless of their race, age, socioeconomic status, or past failures.
“For God does not show favoritism.” (Romans 2:11)
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14. He is alive.
The God of Christianity is not in the grave. He is alive, well, and ruling. Though He died on the cross for our sins, He rose again to be victorious over death itself. He reigns in Heaven, dwells among us and within us. Though Satan tried to kill him, God remains one who conquered the grave on our behalf. He’s still actively pursuing each of us to draw closer to Him. By believing in Him, we can also have eternal life (John 3:16).
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15. He is indescribable.
There are not enough words to sum up who God is. He is too vast for our human minds to ever comprehend.There will always be something new to learn about God. For those who are diligent to seek His presence, He will continue to reveal himself to them each day. As we reach out to Him, He will meet us and continually share His heart for us.
I realized that no one can discover everything God is doing under the sun. Not even the wisest people discover everything, no matter what they claim. (Ecclesiastes 8:17)
“Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3)
Victoria Riollano is an author, blogger, and speaker. As a mother of six, military spouse, Psychology professor and minister’s wife, Victoria has learned the art of balancing family and accomplishing God’s ultimate purpose for her life. Recently, Victoria released her book, The Victory Walk: A 21 Day Devotional on Living A Victorious Life. Her ultimate desire is to empower women to live a life of victory, hope, and love. She believes that with Christ we can live a life that is ALWAYS winning. You can learn more about her ministry at victoryspeaks.org.
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Originally published Wednesday, 26 December 2018.
