Many times today, we hear of people who have given up on God. They feel that because things have not worked out the way they planned, and that serving God is not worth the effort.

This feeling and attitude comes from not understanding Jehovah. Let us look at a few things that may help us understand God a bit better.

God is not man. God is God. He is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. Man makes a mistake when he tries to bring God down to his level; it cannot be done. Man’s ways and God’s ways are not the same. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9). We need to learn to study and apply God’s word to our lives. The Apostle Paul pointed this out in 2 Timothy 2:15 when he said, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

While God is not man, God is for man. When we look at the biblical account of creation, we see that God prepared the earth for man to inhabit before he created man (Genesis 1:26). Man had air to breath, land to stand on, water to drink, plants for food and work to do (Genesis 1:29, 2:15). When God saw his creation was alone, God made a help meet for man. (Genesis 2:20-25). The family was formed, as Adam and Eve lived in the garden prepared for them by God. Even when the first humans rebelled against God, God still cared about them. Instead of destroying man, God gave man a way to be justified in his sight once again.

It is interesting to see the great love God has for man. He was willing to send Christ to die for all men (Romans 5:6-11). This is hard for some to understand, for they are not used to this kind of love. This love was freely given when man could do nothing for himself.

We need to understand that God waits for man. God created man with the ability to choose whether or not they desire to follow God. God has supplied all man needs to make this choice. He gave Christ, the only sacrifice that could be given for man; he has given his word to be written down so everyone can know what is expected of him or her.

The reason behind all this is God’s love for man. God wants all men to be saved, but it is up to the individual to make the decision to obey God or not. God’s word teaches the necessity of faith, but not faith alone (James 2:17-19). Man must be willing to change his life or to repent, to confess that Jesus is the son of God and then to be baptized (immersed) for the forgiveness of sins.

We can understand God, but we have to try.