What’s your God-picture? In his book, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, Mark Batterson says, “How you think about God will determine who you become. You aren’t just the byproduct of ‘nature’ or ‘nurture.’ You are a byproduct of your God-picture. And that internal picture of God determines how you see everything else.” This is an essential truth to understand if you are going to enjoy a meaningful relationship with God. Consider two expressions of your God-picture:
1. Your View of God Shapes How You Believe He Views You – For many people, their view of God is distorted by guilt, anger, distrust, and a past riddled with pain. As a result, they believe God views them as worthless and hopeless. But when you view God in the grandeur of his character, you begin to realize that He looks back at you through unfathomable eyes of unconditional love. He doesn’t reluctantly accept you when you come before Him. Rather, he proactively takes the first step–wooing you to a life reconciled with Him.
2. Your View of God Shapes the Size of Your Prayers – Too often we view prayer as an interruption in God’s day. As a result, we only ask for the minimum. I think this approach keeps us confined to fear and limits our willingness to take bold risks to advance God’s Kingdom. As Batterson says, “We reduce God to the size of our biggest problem.” When we pray small prayers we possess a very small God-picture.
What’s your God-picture? How do you view Him? How do you believe He views you? What’s the biggest thing you’ve prayed for lately? Do you need a new picture of who God truly is?
