God Incomprehensible: The Mystery That Moves Us to Worship
In Chapter 2 of The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer explores a truth that both challenges and comforts us: God is incomprehensible. This is not a limitation on God but a declaration of His infinite greatness. If we could fully grasp Him, He would cease to be God.
As Tozer writes, “God is not like anything; that is, He is not exactly like anything or anybody.” We cannot contain or define Him with human understanding. He transcends all that we know, yet in His grace, He invites us to know Him personally through faith.
Straining to Understand the Infinite
I’ve often reflected on my own attempts to understand God. Early in my walk, I unknowingly created an image of Him that felt familiar and manageable—a combination of religious imagery and my best human ideas of wisdom and love. It was comforting but deeply limited. Tozer warns us against this tendency to reduce God to something we can control or comprehend, reminding us that doing so leads to idolatry—not in the form of carved idols but in thoughts unworthy of Him.
Tozer’s words resonated deeply: “Whatever we visualize God to be, He is not, for we have constructed our image out of that which He has made.” This realization shattered my small, constructed concept of God. It left me both humbled and awestruck, like stepping into a vast cathedral of the unknown. God is untameable, as C.S. Lewis depicted Aslan in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. When asked if Aslan was safe, Mr. Beaver answered, “Safe? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” I find that immensely appealing.
God isn’t safe in the sense of being predictable or controllable. He is infinitely beyond us, yet He is always good. This truth invites us to rest not in our understanding but in His character.
Knowing the Unknowable
If God is incomprehensible, how can we know Him? Tozer points us to an astonishing paradox: though God remains beyond our grasp, He reveals Himself to us through Jesus Christ. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:10-12, it is only by the Spirit that we can understand the things of God. Faith becomes our lens, and love our connection.
God doesn’t reveal Himself through reason alone but through relationship. He invites us into an intimate knowing—a knowing that goes beyond intellect to transform our hearts, not only our minds. As Tozer beautifully puts it, “Faith is an organ of knowledge, and love an organ of experience.” In Christ, the unknowable God has made Himself knowable—not fully, but truly.
The Beauty of Mystery
Rather than being a barrier, God’s incomprehensibility becomes an invitation to worship. Imagine standing on the shore of an endless ocean. The vastness overwhelms your senses, yet it draws you in, inviting you to explore. This is the experience of encountering God’s infinite nature.
Our inability to fully comprehend Him doesn’t diminish our relationship; it deepens it. We don’t have to figure Him out to trust Him. In fact, it is precisely because He is infinite and unsearchable that He is so utterly trustworthy. If His greatness is beyond measure, so too is His love, faithfulness, and care for us.
Living in the Light of the Infinite
For those of us abiding in the exchanged life, this truth transforms our perspective. We don’t need to strive to know all the answers or control our lives. Instead, we rest in the reality that Christ lives in us, revealing the infinite God moment by moment.
This isn’t a call to disengage our minds but to let faith and love guide us where reason cannot. As we meditate on God’s attributes—His holiness, love, sovereignty, and grace—we are drawn into deeper worship and trust. The mystery of who He is fuels our wonder and keeps us anchored in awe.
A Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving
Lord, we stand in awe of Your incomprehensible greatness. Thank You for revealing Yourself to us through Christ and for inviting us to know You in a personal and transforming way. We praise You for being far beyond what we can imagine yet near to us in every moment. Thank You for teaching us to trust not in what we understand but in who You are—faithful, infinite, and good. Amen.
Reflect and Share
A young atheist once remarked, “Isn’t it suspiciously convenient that the Christian God perfectly meets the deepest needs of every human being? Doesn’t that suggest Christianity is a man-made invention?” At first glance, this critique might seem logical. But let’s consider a different perspective.
Imagine looking at a key that perfectly fits a complex lock. Would we call that a coincidence or a contrivance? Of course not—the key fits the lock because it was designed to. And so it is with God and our hearts. Our deepest needs for love, purpose, forgiveness, and belonging are not arbitrary. They were woven into our design by the One who created us. He doesn’t “conveniently” fit those needs; He made us for Himself, and only He can fill that space.
This truth invites us into awe rather than skepticism. The God who is infinite and incomprehensible didn’t have to reveal Himself to us, yet He did—through Christ, through His Word, and through His Spirit within us. He is the key to the lock of our hearts, not because we imagined Him to be so, but because He designed us to know Him.
Consider This:
How has God’s infinite nature deepened your trust in Him?
In what ways has He revealed Himself to you, even amid the mystery of His greatness?
God’s incomprehensibility is not a barrier but an invitation—a door into deeper trust, wonder, and relationship. Let’s journey together into the vastness of His goodness and grace. Share your thoughts below.