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In 1536 in the Netherlands, a man named Menno Simons decided to join a group of Christians called the Anabaptists. (In fact, he became such a prominent leader among the Anabaptists that they are called "Mennonites" to this day.) The odd thing is that at this time, if Anabaptist Christians were caught by government authorities, they were routinely imprisoned, beheaded or burned to death. Why, then, would Menno Simons choose to join this group of Christians? Why would anyone want to become a Christian under such circumstances?
Menno Simons would do this only because he discovered something that was more important than life itself he came to believe in the God of the Bible, a God who is, in Latin terms, omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent.
What does that mean in English? "Omniscient" means that the God Christians worship knows everything. "Omnipresent" means that the Christian God is present everywhere. "Omnipotent" means that the Christian God is all-powerful.
But what did all this matter to Menno Simons? Better yet, why should it matter to you?
God's Omniscience
According to the Bible, God knows everything about you your thoughts, words and actions. A song in the Bible (Psalm 139) says,
"You have looked deep
into my heart, LORD,
and You know all about me.
You know when I am resting
or when I am working,
and from heaven
You discover my thoughts.
You notice everything I do
and everywhere I go.
Before I even speak a word,
You know what I will say."
How do you think you would live if you accepted the idea that there is a God who knows all about you? What decisions would you make? Would you wish that you could change your life</#209>but realize perhaps it may be above your power to do so?
God's Omnipresence
God not only knows everything; He is everywhere. The song in the Bible goes on to say,
"Where could I go to escape
from Your Spirit
or from Your sight?
If I were to climb up
to the highest heavens,
You would be there.
If I were to dig down
to the world of the dead,
You would also be there.
Suppose I had wings
like the dawning day
and flew across the ocean.
Even then Your powerful arm
would guide and protect me."
What does this mean for us? It means that God knows when we are hurting. He knows all our problems and the answers to them.
We can run from this God, and many of us do. Some people I have known have travelled all over the world, seeking to get away from Him. Some have resorted to alcohol or drugs to drown out their tormented thoughts or the voice of God that they fear will condemn them.
Those who run from God not only continue in their misery, but they often make their families miserable too. Anger, resentment and hostility toward God can express themselves outwardly. When a person is at war with himself and God, he may take it out on family members and others. The result is disaster. Marriages crash. Children's lives may be adversely affected far into the future.
Why do people run from God? They're afraid afraid that acknowledging the existence of this God would somehow threaten their lives or cost them something. They might have to give up dishonest practices, some coveted habit, or money. Perhaps most of all, they realize they would have to humble themselves and confess that they are far from perfect. As the Bible puts it, they would have to admit that they are "sinners", people who are unable to keep themselves from doing bad things.
Jesus said, "You claim to be rich and successful and to have everything you need. But you don't know how badly off you are. You are pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. Buy your gold from Me. It has been refined in a fire, and it will make you rich. . . . Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear My voice and open the door, I will come in and we will eat together" (Revelation 3:17-20, the Bible).
God's Omnipotence
The omnipotence of God is awe-inspiring. Unfortunately, in this day, too little awe seems to be felt toward God. But just think: God made everything in the universe, including us. That is amazing. The most amazing thing, however, is that this all-powerful God loves us.
Does God love the murderer, the thief, the adulterer, the sexually immoral, the homosexual, the self-righteous hypocrite, the liar, the gossip, the alcoholic, the drug addict, the swindler, the prostitute? Yes. He has opened the eyes of many such people to the fact that Jesus Christ died for each one of them so that they could be clean and transformed. In the New Testament part of the Bible, we read that Jesus rescued a thief, a demon-possessed prostitute, a greedy tax collector and a self-righteous religious fanatic, who later became Paul the Apostle.
Many people who do not have God's power in their lives try in their own strength to overcome hurtful thinking, speaking and actions. Unfortunately, they usually slip back into anger, hostility, resentfulness and self-pity. They need the help of an all-powerful God in order to be able to change.
Does God love and care about you? He certainly does. The Bible says, "God showed how much He loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful" (Romans 5:8). It doesn't matter if you are a "down-and-outer" or an "up-and-outer", God cares about you. He wants you to commit your life to His Son Jesus and come to know Him personally. He wants to give you a new wonderful life, filled with His peace, joy and love.
Why not pray to Him right now and humbly ask Him to come into your life and rescue you from whatever is holding you down?
Muriel Larson lives in Greenville, S.C.
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