“This Is Our God”
OUR God is invisible, and, therefore, has never been seen by human eyes. “No man has seen God at any time,” the inspired Bible writer explained. ‘If that is so,’ one may ask, ‘then how can you be sure that an unseen God actually exists?’ Because of conclusive evidence to this effect.—John 1:18.
Just as a physically blind person has sufficient reason to believe that there is a sun, so there is substantial reason for believing that an invisible God exists. We do not have to see him to know that he is, anymore than we need to see the wind to know when it blows. Many years ago a well-educated Oriental reasoned soundly on this matter, and wrote: “For [God’s] invisible qualities are clearly seen from the world’s creation onward, because they are perceived by the things made, even his eternal power and Godship.”—Rom. 1:20.
The things that we see—such as our own marvelous human body, its miraculous powers of reproduction, the fantastic size and orderliness of the universe, and so forth—supply irrefutable evidence that there are power and intelligence superior to man’s. One of the most gifted humans intellectually, the late scientist Albert Einstein, once said that it was enough for him “to try humbly to comprehend even an infinitesimal part of the intelligence manifest in nature.” The intelligence, orderliness and design manifest in the things made testify that a Mighty Creator exists. We are glad to acknowledge this Great One as our God.
RESPONSIBLE FATHER
Our God is a responsible Father. He is not, as some people seem to believe, an unidentifiable principle that initiated laws by which lower organisms would evolve into humans. Rather, as his chief Son Jesus Christ explained: God “who created them from the beginning made them male and female.” Yes, the first man and woman were God’s children, his specific creations, and he showed interest in them by providing this beautiful, perfectly designed earth for their home. How unlike some earthly men who father illegitimate children and then desert them!—Matt. 19:4; Gen. 1:27; 2:7.
Almighty God is still interested in mankind, and recognizes those who worship him as his children. Therefore, it is only proper that a person should respond to this interest and seek to learn about God. Only if one does can he pray with meaning and understanding the way Jesus instructed in the famous model prayer: “Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. Let your kingdom come.” It is because we are grateful to know our Father’s identity that we humbly address him as did his prophet long ago: “O Jehovah, you, are our Father. We are the clay, and you are our Potter; and all of us are the work of your hand.”—Matt. 6:9, 10; Isa. 64:8.
Yes, God’s name is Jehovah, and we are glad to use his name, for we are proud of our Father. We desire, as did the Bible psalmist, “that people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.” This great God of ours is not a mystery whom it is impossible for us to understand. He is the same God to whom Jesus raised his eyes, looking heavenward, and made his petition: “Father, . . . glorify your son.”—Ps. 83:18; John 17:1, 6.
On another occasion Jesus described his Father in these clear, simple terms: “Jehovah our God is one Jehovah.” So God is not an unexplainable trinity, consisting of several persons in one divine essence. He is Jesus’ God, the one whom Jesus worships. He is also our God and Father. We, too, can love and worship him, and, if we do, he will show mercy toward us. So in heartfelt appreciation we say: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of tender mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation.”—Mark 12:29; 2 Cor. 1:3, 4.
NOT A MAN OR AN IDOL
This Father of ours is not a man, nor was he ever a man on earth who was later deified. “I am God and not man,” he says. Jesus explained that “God is a Spirit.” Unlike men, God does not have a body of flesh and blood, but he is an invisible Personage.—Hos. 11:9; John 4:24.
Since he is a Spirit, Jehovah is not, at the same time, a lifeless image of wood or stone. “Our God is in the heavens,” the Bible psalmist explains. On the other hand, the gods of the nations “are silver and gold, the work of the hands of earthling man.” The psalmist then argues convincingly that these idols are utterly worthless, saying: “A mouth they have, but they cannot speak; eyes they have, but they cannot see; ears they have, but they cannot hear. A nose they have, but they cannot smell. Hands are theirs, but they cannot feel. Feet are theirs, but they cannot walk; they utter no sound with their throat. Those making them will become just like them.” How foolish to put one’s trust in such lifeless images!—Ps. 115:3-8; Isa. 44:14-20.
A prophet of God once showed the worthlessness of idols by comparing their powers with those of Jehovah. He asked: “Do there exist among the vain idols of the nations any that can pour down rain, or can even the heavens themselves give copious showers? Are you not the One, O Jehovah our God? And we hope in you, for you yourself have done all these things.” Yes, it is our God Jehovah who is able to act and accomplish things. He is the one who deserves your praise.—Jer. 14:22.
So why not respond? “Shout in triumph to God, all you people of the earth. Make melody to the glory of his name. Render his praise glorious. Say to God: ‘How fear-inspiring your works are! . . . ’ Bless our God, O you peoples, and cause the voice of praise to him to be heard.” We welcome you to join in praising our God Jehovah.—Ps. 66:1-3, 8.
UNSURPASSED IN WISDOM
“Raise your eyes high up and see,” God invites. “Who has created these things?” (Isa. 40:26) Yes, look into the heavens and see the stars scattered above like sparkling diamonds. Not only are they indescribably beautiful, but they travel in their courses with such regularity that man sets his most accurate timepieces by their movements. This is what impressed astronaut John Glenn. “It is the orderliness of the whole universe about us,” he said, “galaxies millions of light-years across, all traveling in prescribed orbits in relation to one another.” What wisdom the Designer of this marvelous universe possesses!
Do not his creations cause you to want to praise him? “O Jehovah our Lord, how majestic your name is in all the earth,” the shepherd David of Bethlehem long ago was moved to sing. “When I see your heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have prepared, what is mortal man that you keep him in mind?” These are also our sentiments. How insignificant humans are when compared with the all-wise Creator of heaven and earth!—Ps. 8:1, 3, 4; 19:1, 2.
Just look around and observe the wisdom with which God designed our earthly home. What matchless beauty there is! Can anything compare with the glorious sunsets, snowcapped mountains, sandy beaches, green valleys, rushing rivers and colorful flowers? Take a deep breath of air. It is of just the right composition of gases to sustain life. How appropriate that man absorbs oxygen from the air but returns carbon dioxide, while plants take in the carbon dioxide, utilize it in producing life-sustaining products and return oxygen to the atmosphere!
Everywhere around us such wisdom is manifest. Observe the miracle of growth. How wonderful is the way tiny seeds bloom into glorious arrays of fragrant blossoms! Taste the marvelous variety of delicious foods. Feel the warmth of the sun. Listen to the delightful songs of birds. No wonder the appreciative psalmist sang: “How many your works are, O Jehovah! All of them in wisdom you have made. The earth is full of your productions.”—Ps. 104:24; Prov. 3:19.
And what of the greatest masterpiece of God’s earthly productions—man himself? With what wisdom our minds and bodies are constructed! How beyond comprehension is the reproductive process, whereby one infinitesimally small male sperm unites with a female egg to develop, according to God’s masterful design, into a living, breathing human creature! (Ps. 139:14-18) Does not the wisdom of our God recommend him as the One whom we should worship? Therefore, accept the invitation: “O come in, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before Jehovah our Maker. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasturage and the sheep of his hand.”—Ps. 95:6, 7.
Although Jehovah’s infinite wisdom recommends him as a God worthy of our worship, his boundless love makes him even more desirable to us.
ABUNDANT IN LOVE
Jehovah God showed love by taking on the responsibility of fathering earthly children. The exceptional quality of his love was demonstrated by providing this beautiful earth as their home and settling the first human pair in a gorgeously prepared section of it. Even when Adam and Eve rebelled against him, Jehovah continued to manifest his love by permitting them to live for a time so that we and the rest of mankind could come into existence and learn of his grand provisions. It is true that allowing sinful creatures to live has resulted in much trouble on earth, and even though wicked angels and evilly inclined men are the ones responsible, our loving Creator has often been the one unjustly blamed. Nevertheless, he has borne the reproach, and has continued to shower blessings on mankind.—Gen. 2:8, 9, 15; 3:16-19; Deut. 32:4, 5; Rev. 12:9.
Jesus Christ drew attention to these blessings from our Father when he said: “He makes his sun rise upon wicked people and good and makes it rain upon righteous people and unrighteous.” An apostle of Jesus also pointed to this loving care for mankind, crediting God with giving “rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts to the full with food and good cheer.”—Matt. 5:45; Acts 14:17.
But in addition to these loving provisions for man’s present needs, our God has mercifully provided for obedient humans to enjoy everlasting life. Think of it! God’s original purpose to have his earthly children enjoy a paradise home forever will be realized. Already he has made arrangements to relieve man of sin by sending his beloved heavenly Son to earth as a ransom. Concerning this provision the Bible explains: “By means of him we have the release by ransom through the blood of that one, yes, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his undeserved kindness.”—Eph. 1:7; Acts 13:38.
What a wonderful demonstration of love for mankind! “God loved the world [of mankind] so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.” How grateful we are! Because of the intervention of God’s mercy the hope of everlasting life in happiness is opened to all mankind.—John 3:16.
Do not these loving provisions of our God endear him to you? Indeed, “Jehovah is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness.” You can go to him in prayer, and “throw all your anxiety upon him, because he cares for you.” O how his love recommends him to us! Yet, at the same time, God’s love and mercy are perfectly balanced by his justice.—Ps. 103:8-14; 1 Pet. 5:7; Ps. 55:22.
A LOVER OF JUSTICE
His dealings are in complete harmony with this inspired description of him: “Perfect is his activity, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom there is no injustice; righteous and upright is he.” As we would expect of such a just ruler, his laws and commandments are not harsh or burdensome, nor does he exploit mankind. However, God does require obedience, and when persons become hardened in a course of evildoing, his justice requires due punishment. He himself tells us: “I, Jehovah, am loving justice, hating robbery along with unrighteousness. And I will give their wages in trueness.”—Deut. 32:4; Isa. 61:8.
We can be confident that when God metes out wages his justice will be tempered with mercy. Jehovah takes no delight in killing anyone, but, in fact, pleads with evildoers: “Turn back, turn back from your bad ways, for why is it that you should die?” It is because of this patience and kindness of our God that many persons have wrongly concluded that he does not notice unrighteousness, and will never execute justice against evildoers. But his inspired Word shows how wrong they are.—Ezek. 33:11; Zeph. 1:12; Ps. 10:13.
The Scriptures prove conclusively that God does observe. “The One planting the ear, can he not hear? Or the One forming the eye, can he not look?” Of course he can, and, in time, he will execute justice, as the Bible psalmist goes on to show: “Jehovah is knowing the thoughts of men . . . And he will turn back upon them their hurtfulness and will silence them with their own calamity. Jehovah our God will silence them.” Happily, we are fast approaching the day when Jehovah God will clean this earth of all unrighteousness. How grateful we can be that our God is a lover of justice!—Ps. 94:6-23; 37:9-11.
MATCHLESS IN POWER
Jehovah also has unlimited power. Not only does Jehovah possess the power to destroy evildoers; he also has the ability to preserve his servants alive into a righteous new order. He demonstrated this long ago by wiping out a wicked system of things by a global flood and delivering righteously disposed Noah and his family into a cleansed earth. Showing the significance of that deliverance, Jesus Christ said: “Just as the days of Noah were, so the presence of the Son of man will be.” This, therefore, is an assurance that God will protect his people when he soon brings destruction upon this wicked system of things.—Matt. 24:37; 2 Pet. 2:9.
Our God will then demonstrate his power in behalf of the survivors by initiating a miraculous program of physical healing. The eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf will be unstopped, the lame will climb up just like a stag, the sick will be healed and the aged will grow progressively younger until once again they enjoy the vigor of youth. O what a happy time that will be! But what about those who have died during the past centuries of human history? Will they be denied these blessings? Jesus Christ supplied the answer when he said: “Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out.” Think of that! Resurrection from the dead!—John 5:28, 29.
Do you wonder whether God has the power to perform these miracles? Well, stop and reason. Do not miracles occur every day? What happens when a seemingly lifeless seed, perhaps of corn, is placed in the ground? Why, in a few days it pushes upward and, in time, golden ears of corn appear on the stalk. Can man make a seed grow? Does he even understand the secret of growth? Of course not! It is a miracle! Yet God is responsible for similar miracles occurring all the time. One cuts his finger, and the wound miraculously heals. A person eats some food and before long it is transformed into flesh, bones, hair, nails and other body materials. God’s works are truly wonderful!
Therefore, is there not every reason to believe that God can also resurrect the dead and restore ailing mankind to perfect life? Yes, most certainly! Not only is He unsurpassed in wisdom, abundant in love and a lover of justice, but our God Jehovah is also matchless in power, truly a miracle-working God. For these reasons, we invite you to join with us as we “walk in the name of Jehovah our God to time indefinite, even forever.”—Mic. 4:5.
Praise Jah, you people, for it is good to make melody to our God; For it is pleasant—praise is fitting. He is healing the brokenhearted ones, and is binding up their painful spots. He is counting the number of the stars; all of them he calls by their names. Our Lord is great and is abundant in power; his understanding is beyond recounting. Jehovah is relieving the meek ones; he is abasing the wicked ones to the earth. Respond to Jehovah with thanksgiving, you people; make melody to our God on the harp, the One who is covering the heavens with clouds, the One preparing rain for the earth, the One making the mountains to sprout green grass. To the beasts he is giving their food, to the young ravens that keep calling. Jehovah is finding pleasure in those fearing him, in those waiting for his loving-kindness.—Ps 147:1, 3-9, 11.