Elohim

It has been so long since I bellied up to the table, I didn't even know at which "dish" to begin. So I asked God outright. Where do I go, Lord? Your word is so vast and I've been so long away I don't even know where to go.

And I remembered.....

Names from a power point flashing onto the wall above my head.
A book on a shelf long ago purchased.
A section in my Bible that gave a brief summation of what those names mean.

I remembered the Names of God.

I remembered Tara leading communion talking on the character of God.

So this is where I began. I pulled the book from the shelf along with two different translations and I sat down at my dining room table and began to seek out Elohim.

Elohim, the one who made it all. Created the heavens and the earth. Separated the light from the dark. Water from the land. Day from Night. This most ancient name of God contains the just the mere idea of God's CREATIVE power as well as his authority and sovereignty.

The creativity of God awes me. The sheer magnitude of his scope and vision is incredible. The artist in me. The part that takes the time with plate presentation at dinner so that it's aesthetically appealing. The hairdresser who is always balancing out the color wheel with the angles and planes of the face. This is the part that stands enamored with his ability to think up creations like the duck billed platypus AND give them a purpose in the food chain. The God of the Universe. The maker of the Milky Way. This is whom I worship. The One Who Made It All.

And yet, He still comes to sit with me and have a cup of coffee. To take me to the story from which I was named and expose a new layer of the onion. Taking me to the part in which Laban was perpetually cheating Jacob of his wages. For YEARS. YEEEAAARRRS, people!! Yet, no matter how Laban tried to cheat him God prospered Jacob. Reading that, I knew we were in this for a minute. There aren't going to be any quick fixes. No immediate rebounds. This faith journey, this trust testament. Still I have peace. Maybe it comes from jumping into the wave instead of fighting against the torrent of the sea. Accepting that this is where we are going to live for a bit instead of looking for an instant relief that doesn't come, but still manages to bring the gifts of disappointment and despair.

What I learned of the character of Elohim was a reminder. That the God of the universe is large enough to carry our burdens. That the one who created the sea cucumber is creative enough that the plans of mere mortals are not so convoluted as to be able to stop his ability to give us our needs as we need them.

He's got the whole world in His hands
He's got the whole world in His hands

He's got the mommies and the daddies
IN HIS HANDS
He's got the little bitty babies
IN HIS HANDS

He's got the whole world in His hands