What Does God look like? One of the few memories I’ve retained of my preschool days is standing in the kitchen and having a discussion with mom on this subject. “Is he older than Grandma?” (Grandma was fighting a cancer battle and had aged significantly.) “Did Grandma make God?” I don’t remember any of the other questions but they were probably along the line of “Is he bigger than Daddy” or “Is He stronger than Daddy”.
Does it matter what God looks like to me? Yes, it does matter. My view of God will affect my relationship with him. If He’s benevolent Grandpa, I like Him but have no fear of him. If he’s a school teacher, I fear and respect him, but can step out from under His authority on a regular basis. If He’s Daddy, well, we each have our own picture to paint. And this is why I’m addressing the question here. Our perceptions of God tend to be formed by the people around us – especially our fathers. If you had a good earthly father, this will have been a tremendous blessing on your life. When you’re relating to someone who has not had this blessing, it is an obstacle that needs to be conquered.
So how do we get an accurate picture of God? God has left us his own documentary in the Bible. We can learn a lot of both His physique and His character.
A starting point for gleaning what God looks like is found in Ge1:26-27. Here we have God saying, “Let us make man in our image.” Man is made in the likeness of God and His son, so when we see men, we are seeing an appearance similar to God. In Acts 7:49,50 God questions us, “Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me?” and “Hath not my hand made all these things?” God’s footstool is earth and heaven is His throne! My earthbound perception cannot imagine this. Isa 40:12 asks us, “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?” God is a very BIG “man”. Matthew 10:29,30 tell us of His powers of observation. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. God has an incredible mind. He is the creator of you and I and everything we see (Genesis 1:1).
God’s character is just as phenomenal as his physique. Some of what we know of his character is encompassed in the following points:
• He is eternal (Revelation 1:8)
• He is all powerful (Matthew 28:18)
• He is omnipresent (Proverbs 15:3)
• He is omniscient (Psalm 147:5)
• He is unchanging (Malachi 3:6)
• He is holy (Revelation 15:4)
• He is just (Revelation 15:3)
• He is love (Jeremiah 31:3)
Who am I? Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing (Isaiah 40:15). I am very small, but God values me. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows (Matthew 10:31). God gives me eternal life. He gives me power. He gives me stability. He makes me holy. He makes me righteous. He makes me love. God has given me a free choice. As I submit my heart to Him and draw closer to Him, I become what God my creator wants me to be. So what does your God look like? Do you know Him in a way that makes a difference today and for eternity? O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth (Psalm 8:9)!
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