The Character of God

This week, I was praying and thanking God for being good. While I was praying I went to say "God, your character is..." and I caught myself taking a brief pause. This was because I couldn't seem to find any other descriptive other than good. That's when it hit me.

He is.

Plain and simple.

God said, "I am".

I read somewhere once that the phrase "I am" appears 300 times in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation pertaining to who God is. When you really allow that to speak for itself, it is powerful. There is no single adjective I could've put in front of character to tell God how good He really is. He is beyond language. His goodness is in everything. We've never been without it so it is hard to describe.

"God's ______ character."

He's as good as it gets already. Nothing bad can be in His presence. He is only good.

A quick Google search will give you lists of God's attributes. A lot of these lists claim to be the most important attributes, and most of them are completely different. After doing this Google search, I got a little bent out of shape thinking "how can just these 7 things be the most important?" or "40? Why 40? Are these ranked in any particular order? Why do none of these match the 7?" Maybe those things don't make you as frustrated as they did me in my brief Google search, and it's probably a good thing if they don't, but then I thought maybe this is kind of a good thing.

The truth is there are not just 40 attributes of God. There are not just 7. There are not 47. None are more important than the next, but at a certain time, it really feels like they are, right?

We just had Resurrection Sunday so the emphasis on God being merciful, loving, and powerful were all very important themes. For the person who just got a miracle, God being a miracle worker is important. For the person praying, God being right on time and listening is important. However, none of these are more important than the next in the grand scheme. The adjective I may use today to describe God may not be my go-to for tomorrow. But isn't that beautiful? He is. He is everything good. He is personal.

He is a healer.

He is a promise keeper.

He is a creator.

He is an author and finisher.

He is the King of Kings. The King of Ages. Immortal. Invisible. Tangible. Abba. Jireh. Jehovah. Alpha and Omega. Lion and Lamb. Savior. Father. Son. Holy Spirit. Comforter. Counselor. Yahweh. Good. Strong. Faithful. Just. Merciful. Omnipresent. Omnipotent. Glorified. Conqueror. Perfect. Friend. Help. Love.

He is so much more.

He is alive.

He was.

He is.

He will be.

God's character is more than I can comprehend. It is more than I can describe. It is overwhelming and lovely. The only way I expect you to understand is to get to know Him. Only then do you find the power in the simple statement of "I am." Because that's all He has to be. He is everything and requires no need for an adjective. He speaks for Himself, time and time again. Simply, He is good.

He is all you need today. Rejoice in that.