What is your favorite way to describe God? Is there a particular name of God in scripture that you are drawn to? What images and pictures come to mind when you think of God? These are questions I don't think we ask often enough.
We all have an image of God in our heads that we work with. It may not be a literal picture, though it might be, but ideas and concepts we tend to associate with who God is. Some of those images and associations may come from the Bible, but some may not. These things are influenced by our upbringing, Bible reading habits, personalities, relationships, culture, and more.
The way we picture God has a dramatic impact on the way we live our lives. For example, if the primary idea you have of God is "Healer," when you hear or read that you are made in God's image you will likely feel called to heal, be it physical ailments or spiritual wounds. But, if your primary image of God is "Judge," that changes things. You very likely might tend to view everything through the lens of right and wrong, good and evil, and judgment.
I think we would all agree that what is healthiest is to have a holistic concept of God taken from the entire witness of the Bible. We need to integrate the images of healer, redeemer, messiah, judge, protector, Father, consuming fire, and more to understand God better. We do this by reading the Bible more and more, worshipping in community, and by praying constantly.
I fully agree with this. We need to completely immerse ourselves in the life of God to better know God. In fact, I think it would be good for us to start using phrases, images, and terms that are biblical but not what we commonly use. I'll give you one example that will probably make you uncomfortable simply because we aren't used to it, even though this type of imagery is in the Bible.
God as Mother.
Now to be clear I'm not advocating for some New Age thing that tries to replace all masculine language with feminine. I'm not even saying we should actively call God "Mother." What I am saying is that the Bible has maternal language about God that we simply ignore.
There are several places that refer to God using the language of a mother bird taking her chicks under her wing, such as Deuteronomy 32:10-11, Ruth 2:12, Psalm 17:8, 57:1, 91:4, and Matthew 23:37 (also found in Luke 13:34). In Hosea 13:8 God is compared to a mother bear ready to protect her cubs.
In Isaiah we see several places where God is depicted as a human mother.
For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant. - Isaiah 42:14
Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you. - Isaiah 49:15
As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem. - Isaiah 66:13
If we more readily acknowledged these verses when we discuss God, how would that alter our perception? I genuinely think that many Christians believe that God is a man, even though both male and female are made equally in God's image. If women are just as much the image of God, which they obviously are, then those uniquely feminine things such as motherhood, being a bride, and other "feminine virtues" (in quotes because I think that is a whole discussion in and of itself) are reflections of God.
I know this probably makes you uncomfortable, but that is the point. There are more biblical images and concepts used for God that we simply don't use very often. We get comfortable with certain terms and images because we are used to them, when in truth God is more than any word or thought we can muster. We should let the Bible stretch our spiritual imaginations and challenge our assumptions about who God is.
The challenge for all of us, me included, is broaden our conception of who God is simply by seeing what images, names, or concepts are used in scripture for God that we aren't used to. The first step is to pray fervently that God is revealed by the Spirit in our continual reading of the Bible. Then, meditate on what is found and ask some questions. Why do I gravitate towards this idea about God but not this one? What does this image add to my understanding of God? Then share what you found with other Christians and have a heartfelt discussion.
God is so much more than our words and ideas can express. Thankfully God has given us in scripture a multitude of images, names, and concepts to work with. It is our task, guided by the Spirit, to search the text for what God has been revealed to be and honor it. It will make us uncomfortable and stretch us, but that is the point.
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