Prepare yourself so that you can be a ‘rainbow in someone else’s cloud’. Someone who may not look like you, may not call God the same name that you call God – or even call God at all. We may not dance the same dance or speak the same language but we can always be a blessing to someone. Inspired by a quote by Maya Angelou.
I always find it quite incredible how, when we are learning something new about God, we seem to hear about it and find our answers almost everywhere that we look (mostly we don’t even look, but just find it anyway.)
In our small bible study group, we are busy with a study of the ‘Names of God’. This is such a huge, insightful and spirit-led subject. In fact, it kind of blows the top off of everything that we have been conditioned to understand about God. Let me try and give you a teeny, tiny overview of what we have come to understand so far.
A name, is purely a word given to something so that we can identify it. We all have many “names”. For example; Mother, friend, boss, colleague, etc… and each name means something else. It reveals something different about us.
Mankind has used the English word God or Gods, to identify a supernatural being that they deem worthy of worship. But God’s name isn’t simply an English name. In the bible, we find many different names for ‘God’. And each name tells us a bit about who He is, what His character is like and how we can interact with Him. The bible actually says that His name is higher than any other name – unspeakably high and glorious and bigger than our minds can ever imagine. His very ‘name’ has power beyond our imagining. (That is why people use the name ‘God’ and ‘Jesus’ as a swear word. You don’t hear people using Buddha or Mohammed as a swear word.)
The very first name that is used for God in the Bible, is Elohim and it is found in Genesis 1:1. It is used 2570 times in the bible. Elohim, means Creator God. Elohim brings into being that which is not. Brings the cosmos out of chaos. Brings light out of darkness.
Think about this; Creation is the one thing that gives people a sense of God, even if they have never heard of Him.
Psalm 19 vs 1-6 (TLB) The heavens are telling the glory of God; they are a marvelous display of his craftsmanship. Day and night they keep on telling about God. Without a sound or word, silent in the skies, their message reaches out to all the world. The sun lives in the heavens where God placed it and moves out across the skies as radiant as a bridegroom going to his wedding, or as joyous as an athlete looking forward to a race! The sun crosses the heavens from end to end, and nothing can hide from its heat.
The EL in Elohim, means ‘to be strong’ and is also used on it’s own as one of the ancient Names of God. (mainly used in classical Hebrew poetry) It is associated with the power of God and is used 250 times in the Bible to say that God is Mighty, Strong and Great.
Think about it for a moment. What is God’s name to you??? For me, He has very personally become ‘the God of Love.’
If we go back in time and look at Jacob in the bible, we will see that before he had a personal relationship with God, he only knew Him as the “God of my fathers”. Jacob had to make many decisions (most often the wrong decisions) and go through many experiences and hardships before he found a personal relationship with God.
Until we get to know God personally, we may also only know Him as Jacob first knew Him.
He may be: The God of our fathers and mothers The God of our upbringing and culture The God of the Christian religion. The Westerner’s God The God of the Bible The God of tradition. Or nowadays, the God who is the Force which is in all things and all religions
Only when we wrestle with all our issues of faith and doubt and deal with our questions in an honest way, seeking The Truth will we move beyond this knowledge of God.
Then God will become so much more to us.
We will see and know that He is strong enough for anything, Powerful enough over everything, And in all things, He is the utmost. All that He is, is in the greatest degree.
If you, in your human capacity, go to the edge of your understanding of the word ‘Love’ , only then, can you begin to understand that what lies beyond that. And that is how much God loves you – and even so much more than we can ever comprehend.
If you think about it, there is so little that we can offer God in return for all He offers us. All that we can offer, is our Love. But, that is all that He wants from us. He yearns intensely to be in relationship with us. Because God IS love – He created creatures to love and who have the ability to chose to love back.
Here is another quote from Maya Angelou which puts it so well. ‘Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences and penetrates walls to arrive at it’s destination full of hope.’
This is the passion and enthusiasm with which God, the God of all Creation, pursues us. This is the passion with which we should pursue him.
James 4:8 Living Bible (TLB)
And when you draw close to God, God will draw close to you.
And when we are enveloped and consumed by the indescribably love of God, that love will pour out from us and begin to infect all those around us and those that we come into contact with. That is just the beginning of how we can ‘Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud’