My God is so big

One of the things I've really enjoyed over the last month and a half is working in the pre-kindergarten Sunday School class at my church. I am a table leader, which means during the second half of class I talk with the kids during snack and help them with the activity for the day. The kids are 4 and 5, which I'm discovering is a fun age, though I'm sure they all are. But what's cool for me is that the kids remember a lot of what is said and can explain the Bible story of the week back to me and even recount past weeks' lessons.

They also have some pretty cute things to say. One of the boys was trying to explain something to me and used Pa from "Little House on the Prairie" as an example. My heart just melted. And then there's nothing better than a compliment from a 5-year-old because you know it's sincere. So one of the boys telling me that he liked my boots pretty much made my day on Sunday.

But what is really getting me is the way God is using the hour I spend in the classroom every week to reinforce the truths He is teaching me through weekly sermons and two Bible studies I'm in. 

In Sunday School, we are studying Moses and have made it through the parting of the Red Sea. (I'm teaching about manna this week, if you have tips!) Each week we sing the song "My God is so Big" before the story. If you don't know the song, here are the words (and you can imagine the motions):

My God is so big, so strong and so mighty
There's nothing my God cannot do.

The mountains are His, the valleys are His,

The stars are His handiwork are too.

My God is so big, so strong and so mighty
There's nothing my God cannot do for you!

After singing the song, the story is always about God's power and what He is willing to do for His people. And every week, it is a reminder to me that I underestimate God and His power.

I just started Beth Moore's Believing God study, and one of the fundamental points she makes is that "God can do what He says He can do." Of the five truths we are memorizing for the study, this is the hardest one for me.

I'm realizing that I lower my expectations of God and expect that He's going to give me things I will have to settle for, thinking that He can't do the big things. But what I am studying is showing me that He doesn't want to give me less, He wants to give me more. 

There's an example that both Beth Moore and C.S. Lewis (via John Piper) give about settling for less: We are willing to settle for a mud puddle when the lake is just over the hill or for making mud pies in the slums when given the chance for a vacation at the beach. And as Beth says, sometimes we need to hear: "You're in the PUDDLE!"

It's not just that I underestimate the things God has for me, but by putting Him in this smaller box, I am missing out on truly enjoying God. As Piper says in Desiring God, "The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever." But my passion and desire for God is too little, not too much because I do not grasp the fullness of God.

I'm seeing that God really wants me to get His message because everywhere I turn I am learning more about how big God is and what He does for those who seek Him. I'm already seeing that God is at work and using these messages to stretch me and strengthen my faith while expanding my understanding of Him and my relationship with Him. I'm finding much more hope and confidence in my God, who is so strong and so mighty!

Endnote: My friends Katherine and Andrea, who are doing these studies along with me, have recently written great posts on what they are learning. And Katherine also linked to this great post on praying boldly. All are worth a read.