“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” Isaiah 45:22.
“I am God.” This is not a scripture quotation. These were the arrogant words scrawled on a Tarot card and left at a crime scene by a stealthy sharpshooter who terrorized the nation’s capitol for twenty-three dark October days.
Whether he was suffering from schizophrenia, taunting the police or simply trying to scare the populace, his words still had a chilling affect on the country. Panic gripped us all. Was this phantom-like sniper capable of near-supernatural powers? Were we in the crosshairs of a trained CIA or military special-forces killer who snapped under pressure? Were we under attack by a hostile nation or organized terrorists? Or, did a dastardly villain of comic book proportions seek to toy with us for his own demented pleasure?
Most of us know that neither John Allen Muhammad, nor his sidekick, John Lee Malvo is God. That was never the question. The sad fact remains that many people have no idea who is God. For them, one of these cold-blooded killers could indeed be God. Or God could be a pagan deity, a cosmic force, a self-defined ideal, a figment of someone’s imagination, or even a lie. The state of confusion and ignorance existing in our world, especially in a nation founded upon faith in God, boggles the mind.
The true God revealed himself as man to man two millenniums ago. This belief is based on faith, but it is abundantly verified by the testimony of Scripture and proven by personal experience. When Jesus Christ entered the earth through Bethlehem ’s portal, the spiritual essence of Jehovah traditionally held by the Jews coalesced into a flesh-and-blood redeemer. He used the prophet Isaiah as a mouthpiece when he said, “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.” Isaiah 43:10-12. The invisible God made himself visible to the world in the person of Jesus Christ. John said “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1. “And the Word became flesh…” John 1:14. Many other scriptures substantiate these simple declarations. But in the light of a mad murderer in the 21st century who boasts that he is God, then what God is becomes as important as who he is.
God is good. I rejoice in God’s goodness. “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good.” Psalm 106:1. The core nature of God exists in goodness. Nobility, honor, justice and truth define his intent. He nurtures, heals, comforts and helps. He inspires, lifts, blesses and anoints. While the Muhammads and Malvos of the world spew out bitterness and slaughter, God presents himself a refuge and a strong tower to all who seek him. I shudder to think of God, with all his omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence as an evil being. If that were the case, this would be a bleak world indeed.
God is great. I rejoice in God’s greatness. “Behold, God is great.” Job 36:26. The greatness of God speaks to his majesty, power and capabilities. Whatever attribute we specify, God represents it to the greatest possible degree. “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.” Psalm 48:1. Any relationship with God yields rewards, thus the roots of this nation’s greatness lie in its Judeo-Christian values.
God is love. I rejoice in God’s love. “God is love.” 1 John 4:16. This marvelous fact stands in stark contrast to the spiteful killing spree visited upon Washington D. C. The man who said “I am God” left death and bloodshed in his wake. The true and living God took death upon himself and spilled his own blood for our salvation. The sniper said “I love the world so I will kill others to make it better.” Jesus said “I love the world so I will come to die for it.” Only a God of love could have drafted redemption’s plan for all mankind.
God is holy; God is merciful; God is my salvation; God is righteous; God is true; God is able; God is gracious; God is mighty; God is my defense; God is my helper; God is judge; God is a sun and shield; God is faithful, and God is God. Finally, God is. Pretenders to his throne come and go and they perish in their own lies. The true God, my God, remains.