To say that God is my God is no small claim. Christianity is so often seen as a set of beliefs, and while many of us would say it is so much more than that, there is a great difference between conceptual acceptance and tangible reality. It is often in the midst of turmoil, conflict and dispute when this difference becomes more definable. When we face trouble, where (or whom) we turn to is often an indicator of our idea of reality and tangible help. The priority of our speech, actions and disposition is the message of what we portray as tangible reality.
I am not saying that a patient with a cancer diagnosis should not go to a doctor for treatment. Nor am I saying that we should not make an appeal to our governing authorities when injustices are being committed. These can be actions for both believer and non-believer. For the believer there is always a greater reality and one that should have real implications in the way we respond to everything in this world. It is not that we have a religious belief that can be put aside while we deal with a real-world problem. For a Christian, while we go to the doctor, the doctor himself is not the sum total of reality. For the Christian, it is the very knowledge of God that dictates a greater reality in every situation that affects our speech, our priority, and our approach in every circumstance. God is the tangible reality by which we live and breathe and have our being.
In the bible there are consistent and regular implications and commands for God’s people simply by knowing his existence. In Genesis when God was making covenant with Abram (Abraham), he does so simply on the basis that he is God. There are real expectations from knowing this truth. Genesis 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. Because God is, Abraham must live according to his standards. When Jacob was told to take his family to Egypt without fear, the reason for doing so was because God is God. He was to believe and act on the reality that God could build him into a great nation in Egypt. It was not Pharaoh’s kindness, but God’s sovereignty that made Israel a great nation in Egypt. Genesis 46:3 Then he said, "I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. When Moses was to lead the people of Israel, they were to accept Moses as their leader because he was sent by the one who simply is. Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
In the Psalms, we are told in Psalm 46:10 that we can, “Be still and know that I am God.” These words are not just nice thoughts on a tranquil day. They are tangible realities to be enacted in our temporal and physical existence. To “be still” is an action required on the basis of knowing reality. When we are faced with trauma and dilemma in an uncertain world, the Christian need not rally troops and speak with fear mongering desperation. Neither do we need to curl up on a ball in our beds in spiraling depression. Our stillness is based, not on religious sentiment but on the tangible reality of the self-existent, all-powerful, all-knowing God who through Christ is our God. Our temperament, speech and actions should all convey the priority of this tangible reality.
We may go to doctors, we may appeal decisions, we may go to the basement during a tornado, but we do so knowing that God is God. The hands of the doctor are under the sovereign control of God. He puts the governing bodies in power and sways the heart of the king. He controls every element in the universe. This is why a Christian is calm, prayerful, and has a greater source of comfort and strength for the anxious moments of life. We sound, act and think differently and portray it in all the signs that show the world a calm disposition in a greater even more tangible reality. We have God.
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