A Child's Question

"How did God become so powerful?" was the question I received this past weekend from one of our children in the congregation.  She wrote with intensity on  one of our communication cards.  Here is my response (before you read my response, think what would yours be?)

Caroline,
Thank you for the great question you wrote on your communication card this last week.  I always encourage both kids and adults to ask the best questions they can about God, His creation, and His relationship to us.  Your question is a good one.

You ask, “How did God become so powerful to be able to make the world what it is today?”  You could probably write a whole book on this question but here are some thoughts for you—feel free to respond back to me with further questions.

In short, God never “became” anything but, rather, has always existed from everlasting to everlasting.  God is eternal, that is without beginning or end.  So God has always existed with all powers, abilities and knowledge within him.  In the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, he states that “The Lord is the only true God.  He is the living God and the everlasting King.”  (Jeremiah 10:10)  In addition, Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made.”

When God created the world he placed within the world (or universe) powers that would allow the world to grow and create all the wonderful galaxies, stars, and the planet we live on.  Some people call our planet the “special or privileged planet”.  Why? Because God set up the universe just right to have life.  The universe is very large but that is the exact size we need for it to be in order to have life exist on a planet like ours.  God wasted no space and created a hospitable place for us to live and work out His plan of salvation.

So, Caroline, God has always and forever been the greatest possible being you could ever imagine!  Though you and I have to have our bodies grow, learn how to talk and ride bikes, and scrape our knees, God has always been all-powerful, all-loving, and all-knowing.  You may be thinking or asking, “What about Jesus becoming human, doesn’t it say in Luke 2:52 that Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and people?”  Yes he did but we will have to answer that one later…


In Christ,

George (Mr. Haraksin)

NewSong Church