Hi, this is Sandra Vernon with face society. And you're listening to the art of connection, woman to woman, heart, to heart messages from my heart to yours, because we, women are all about relationships and connections. This podcast brings you hope in becoming the best version of yourself so that you can build positive relationships So much more. This is titled to one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite artists and Danny Gokey. The lyrics are just phenomenal. I would encourage you to listen to the, to this song so much more. The question that goes with the song is what do you think about God? He is so much more than we can think or imagine. So who is God to you? Because many people will say they believe in God is he's in some lofty unattainable unreachable place. Does heaven caused you to think of clouds and harps and cherubs? Maybe God has become only a symbol to you, perhaps a cross hung around your neck or a Sunday. Ritual of going to church. What I can say is that he is so much more than we can imagine or comprehend. He has far more than we have ever dreamed of, but that may be part of the problem we don't think or imagined thoughts of God. Now I'm not suggesting, suggesting that we try to construct his physical characteristics. We can speculate he was from the middle east so we can speculate what he might look like. And I'm not suggesting that we do that. I just want us to think on and come to know who he truly is. God is with those who are behind bars. He's also with those who are sitting at bars and those who own the bars, God is with the wealthy as well as the poor. He is with us on the mountain, top experience of life, as well as when we are navigating the valleys. He is with the downtrodden, the wounded, the hurt and the lonely God is full of loving kindness. One of my favorite artists, as I said, Danny, Gokey has this song more than you think I am the lyrics, paint a picture of God that we often do not think about. He is not just a judge who condemns evil, but he is a loving God who reaches out to the needy and who reaches out to those who seek him. God is able to do far more than we could ever imagine. God is far more wonderful than we could ever dream. He is far more awesome than we can comprehend yet. He us in to learn of him. That to me is amazing. Those are the things we need to be thinking about. The creator of the universe. God almighty invites us in to learn of him, to get to know him. And since he is God, the creator of all things we to created in his image are to be creative. And part of that creativity is imagination. God is our fortress. Can you imagine a fortress? Think about that. What is a fortress to you? High thick walls, protection, security. God is our fortress. God is our refuge. What would a refuge look like? That would protect you from all harm. God is that to us, our refuge, God says he will hide us under his wing. Now this is not to say he has wings, but his poetic verbiage lens, our imagination to that of a bird. Have you ever seen how the parent bird will cover her chicks to protect them? God does far more than this, but he paints for us a picture that we can imagine. And each of these word pictures, and there are tons of them found in scripture, invites us to imagine what God is like as he gives hints of himself and about himself in his word, he truly is more than we think he is. He is trying. And this meeting that he is God, in three persons, one God, three persons, God, the father, God, the son, God, the holy spirit. He is omniscient. He knows our thoughts. He is omnipresent. He created time for us to live in and by that he is outside of time and therefore is with us always. He is omnipotent. He is all powerful, comforting to know that he can take care of us. God truly is more than we think he is. So let's check aside any false beliefs we have held dear and evaluate them. According to scripture, that's the standard to live by because that's the standard God gave us. He gave us his word. He has preserved it through the decades upon decades. Let's then take advantage of this privilege to get to know God through his word. True. So much has been signed, said, and done in Jesus' name. And most often not by his will, that we must return to the source. God's word to learn the truth of who he is. And here's some of my favorite gems that I've put into my own words. Personalizing it. This reading, um, is from the devotional style, thought by thought translation of the new living translation for study. I said, I choose a word by word translation, such as the new American standard, 1995 edition. So here's from the new living translation. God knows everything about me. That's both frightening and a comfort. I can't hide from him. He knows everything about me, but the beautiful thing is he still loves me. He still sent his son to die in my place, doing something I could never do. He knows everything about me. God knows everything I do. God thinks about we so often his thoughts cannot be numbered. These are all from Psalm 1 39. God knew me before I was born. Jeremiah. The prophet writes, God knows and has good plans for me. Jeremiah continues. God loves me with an everlasting love. God tells me that I can ask him. Now that is now. That is not a, I can't even say what I was going to say now is not that a wonderful privilege that God tells me. I can ask him anything. These all were from Jeremiah, the prophet, and then to continue in scripture looking to the new Testament in Matthew. Uh, well he records Matthew records in Matthew. Uh, the temp chapter are not two sparrows sold for a cent and yet not one of them will fall to the ground. Apart from your father telling us that God knows even when one of his sparrows fall to the ground, but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not fear. You are of more value than the sparrows, everyone. Therefore, who shall confess me before men, I will confess him before my father who is in heaven. That's pretty comforting to know that he cares for us. He knows even when the sparrows fall and yet he will not forget us too. That's a good reminder. Matthew also says in earlier chapters, I'm looking at chapter six, um, that God already knows. He already knows our needs. Let me see. I'm taking them home to turn there. Matthew 6 31 do not be anxious. Then what shall we eat? What shall we drink or with what shall we close ourselves for all these things. The Gentiles eagerly seek for your heavenly father knows you need all these things, but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow. For tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. I love that reminder that God knows our needs. And then in, uh, Corinthians and in the second letter to the Corinthians, Paul and I like this to reminding us of God's comfort and care blessed, be the God and father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the father of mercies and God of all comfort who comforts us in all affliction. And he does it for a reason that continues so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort, with which we ourselves had been comforted by God, isn't that beautiful. He comforts us and then we can therefore comfort others. And then another letter that Paul writes to the Roman church in chapter eight, but he writes beginning in verse 35, who can separate separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword just that is written for thy sake. We are being put to death all day long. We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered, but in all these things, the tribulation, the distress, the persecution and famine, we overwhelmingly conquer through him who loved us. And Paul continues for, I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come nor powers nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord, pretty amazing truth there. And so when he speaks to this, he means absolutely nothing. If we suffer calamity, it will not separate us from God nor change who he is. Life or death or angels or demons will not separate us from God. If we belong to his family by invitation, we cannot be separated from him. No fears, no worries, no anxieties, nothing in creation can separate us from who he is. See God truly is so much more than we can think or imagine, but we can start by doing that, thinking on God, learning more of him and of his beautiful, wonderful character that can never change. God is truly a God to be trusted until next time. This is Sandra Vernon. Thank you for tuning in to the art of connection with me, Sandra Vernon, founder of faith, society, sharing messages from my heart to encourage personal growth and fulfillment so that each one of us can become the best version of ourselves. As we contribute to the world around us follow face society at Instagram and on Facebook.