There’s something really comforting to me about the mystery of God. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by it. It’s also easy for our humanity to want to conquer that mystery, to fully wrap our minds around, understand it. As generations of people continue to evolve, our thirst for knowledge only grows, and our access to information broadens significantly as well. And I get that, I really do. It feels good to know things, it gives us a sense of confidence and importance. But for me, I love the fact that I can’t fully explain God. I can’t even perfectly picture him in all his glory. It’s like the ocean, for example. There are depths that we still can’t reach, no matter how fancy the equipment. She is too vast, so much so that there are new creatures being discovered every day. I love that and I hope man never fully conquers her, just like we will never fully be able to grasp everything about who God is. And to me, the most amazing part of all that is the fact that this God, who’s arms shaped the mountains, wraps those very arms around us. He is powerful enough to create and orchestrate life itself, yet kind enough to bend down low and care for his people.
I wrote the song, “All of the Earth is Yours”, out of Psalm 24:
1
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2
for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.
Who is this God, the creator, the artist of the skies? And who are we, that he would be gracious enough to care for us? I find a deep peace in recognizing my smallness and leaning into this mystery, because one of the greatest of them is the fact that he would sacrifice so much and continue to love a people who are constantly messing things up. And I mean, we really mess things up! I do, at least.
And when I look at the rest of Psalm 24…
Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god.
5 They will receive blessing from the Lord
and vindication from God their Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, God of Jacob.
…this feels like our response to all of that, to the God who holds it all. I read that and I think how much I want to be a part of a generation that is known for seeking after the Lord, who keeps diving deeper into the mystery while being humble enough to know there is no end to it. A generation that has clean hands that cling to grace, that speaks boldly the name of Jesus and against falsehood, one who holds to the truth of God’s Word and builds up his church in a really, really loud world. Because another great paradox is that as time keeps barreling forward and the world keeps constantly changing, God does not. He stays exactly the same. He isn’t intimidated by the chaos of this fallen world, and he tells us not to be surprised by it. So, that is my hope for this song, that it urges believers to find comfort in the bigness of God, to remember that he cares deeply for his children, and for it to be a prayer for this generation of the church to continue to strengthen as the world spins madly on.
God, you are so much grander than we can even attempt to fathom. Even so, thank you for caring for us. Thank you for not giving up on us. Thank you for creating the complexity of the human mind, yet still remaining a mystery to it. Help us lean peacefully into that. And may we be a generation that brings you glory and makes you proud, may we be worthy to ascend your mountains to glory and one day stand in your presence.
-Shaylee Simeone