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Five-year old Michael grinned at his father through a mouthful of foam as he performed his bedtime ritual of teeth brushing. Supervising from the bathroom doorway, Dad urged him to finish up quickly. "Hurry up Buddy, so we can read a story before bed!"

Michael rinsed his mouth with water from a Dixie cup and dutifully cleaned the excess toothpaste from his Scooby Doo toothbrush. Twenty minutes later he was tucked under the blankets, having heard his favorite story for the one-hundredth time. As was tradition, his father knelt by Michael’s bedside for prayers. That night, however, the child had a question.

"Daddy, can I kneel with you too? I want to show God that He’s bigger than me." Stunned by the wisdom of youth, his dad agreed and Michael scurried out from under the covers to kneel on the floor and talk to Jesus.

How often do we in the rush of day to day living forget the simple truth voiced by little Michael? God is bigger! He is bigger than we are. He is bigger than our problems, our worries and all of our striving.

We so often subconsciously use another child’s phrase that inevitably lands us in trouble. "I can do it myself!" Unfortunately, we tend to find out, often when it is too late, that we just aren’t "big enough". Only then do we go to our Father, crying and complaining that things aren’t working out the way we think they should. I can picture Father God in all His wisdom and patience, saying, "Beloved child, why didn’t you bring this burden to me in the beginning? After all, I am bigger!"

God is far bigger than any problem you could possibly bring to Him, and yet, He cares about our smallest concern. Just think of the significance of that! The same all-powerful God who created the vast universe wants us to come to Him with those things that weigh us down. He is big enough to shoulder the burden for us and in exchange for us coming to Him, He promises to ease the load. (Matthew 11:30 "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.")

What about when fear creeps in? God is still bigger. A favorite silly song of mine from a Christian children’s video set goes like this. "God is bigger than the Boogeyman. He's bigger than Godzilla and the monsters on TV. Oh, God is bigger than the Boogeyman, and He's watching over you and me!" Does that sound goofy to you? Maybe it is. But, I guarantee you that our little friend Michael would understand the concept completely!

Let me share an interesting point here. When we put our trust in God’s bigness, He will, in turn, empower us. Before you think I’ve lost it, consider that Philippians 4:13 says "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" and NOT simply "I can do everything." The key factor is that our successes are in and through the bigness of God.

Even as I write this, I am still reading, researching and learning more than I ever thought I would on this subject. God is bigger than anyone can even fathom with the human mind, so we could spend our entire lives delving into the subject and still not cover it all! The more I learn about the bigness of God, the more I am in awe. (Deuteronomy 3:24 "O Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do?")

Michael knows that Jesus loves him and welcomes him with open arms. He understands that God is bigger than he is, and that is the way it should be. There is no anxiety, no worry, just honest trust and the desire to honor the bigness of God through childlike prayers. Where Jeremiah said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee!"(Jer. 32:17) Michael may very well say, "God, thank you for making the world. I am glad you can do anything!" It is the same.

And God’s reply is found in Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." You can’t get any bigger than that!

Thanks for the reminder, Michael.

Copyright L. Joy Douglas