We cannot tell God what to do.

 

We find a doxology about an awesome God in Romans 11:33-36:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

"Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?"

"Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Encountering God inspires his praise and discloses his transcendence.

Encountering God reveals his complete, divine sufficiency.

 

Paul refers also to Isaiah and Job who said. "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counsellor?" "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" In other words, Paul is emphasizing the fact that God is sufficient in Godself.

 

Sometimes we arrogantly think that we can counsel God. The truth is that God does not need our advice. And the reason is, because he is sufficient.

 

God’s sufficiency makes it possible for us to be provided to. God is the source of our supply. God is sufficient in Godself, and we are the recipients of that sufficiency. Indeed, as we draw upon his sufficiency, we receive what we need as believers: Christ is our supply. Christ is our source. Christ is what we need and all we need.

 

When we are brought into an encounter with the living God, we can never go away from that encounter unaffected. There is something about considering the greatness of God that moves us deeply. We can see in this letter to the Romans that it certainly moved Paul. He had been moved from theology to doxology. He had been moved from pondering the greatness of God, to praising the glory of God. This is what an encounter with God will do for you.

Let’s look at some of the effects of an encounter with God.

1. It inspires God’s praise.

Praise is the normal response to an encounter with God. When we are ushered into the presence of the majesty and greatness of God, we stand in awe. We experience a taste of how wonderful he is. We glimpse his glory, behold his beauty, taste his goodness, feel his love and it takes our breath away.

2. It reveals his transcendence.

Encountering God also discloses his transcendence. ‘How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!’

 

God is not like us but that we are like him. He has created us to reflect his image. God is beyond our comprehension. God is by nature incomprehensible to us. We cannot think in adequate categories to explain him. We are too limited in our understanding and experience.

 

This is what we mean by God’s transcendence. God transcends not only our understanding of him but also our experience of him. Our Lord is beyond us. Isaiah put it well in Isaiah 55:8-9.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts”.

3. It declares God’s centrality.

We need to learn that God stands in the centre of all of history. In terms of the created order, God is central. In terms of my human experience of life, God is central. In terms of the continuance of the universe, God is central. In terms of the future of humanity, God is central. In terms of my redemption and salvation, God’s plan and actions, are central.

 

The God we serve is an awesome God. Just in his creation alone, he has already revealed his awesome power. Without God this entire universe would fly apart. To encounter God is to understand his centrality in all things.

4. It demands his glory.

Encountering God demands his glory to be praised and adored. Paul said — ‘to him be the glory forever! Amen’.  

When we look at the marvelous plan of salvation focused on Jesus Christ, we see that one day all the nations will bow before him in praise and give glory to God.

Philippians 2:9-11: Therefore God exalted him (Jesus) to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

We need to spend time considering the greatness of our awesome God. It inspires his praise, disclosing his transcendence. Encountering God reveals his sufficiency.

 

It is pitiful to think that anyone could be God’s teacher. Is there any need we may have that God has not thought of? Can we teach God something new about our purpose or destination?

The truth is that God does not need our advice, but his glory is honoured by our pleas, petitions and prayers.