God's grandeur
Bringing a spiritual perspective to daily life
On a recent hike with a friend, I was preoccupied and really worried about money. My husband and I had made a huge move overseas that entailed quitting my job, and I was unable to obtain new work.
Spending money on anything but groceries felt frivolous, and I was close to panic about our financial situation.
At one point on our hike, I sat down to enjoy the view. Extensive mountain ranges stretched out before me for as far as I could see. As I looked at the mountains, I saw part of a waterfall emerging from the rock wall.
As I looked, a favorite quotation came to mind from Mary Baker Eddy's book "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures": "The depth, breadth, height, might, majesty, and glory of infinite Love fill all space. That is enough!" (page 520). I began to consider each word individually, relating it to the scenery in front of me.
Depth: The mountains echoed the depth of God, with their endlessness and vastness. It was a three-dimensional picture. Considering the depth of God, I realized that my lack of money couldn't be the whole picture.
Breadth: The range of things to look at symbolized God's breadth. There was the waterfall, a trickling stream, vegetation, antelope grazing nearby, and the mountains. God is not just deep - going in one direction - but He also has breadth, which conveys the infinite extent of the one infinite God. And God is Love, so we are always surrounded by both the breadth and the depth of Love, caring for and supporting us at each step.
Height: Height, along with depth and breadth, creates a complete spatial picture of the hugeness of God.
Might: God isn't just spatially present; He expresses might and majesty within that infinite space. To me, might means strength and power. But since God is Love, His strength isn't frightening or punishing. Instead, it's a strength we can lean on for help in any situation. And I felt frightened, so it was comforting to think about leaning on God - who fills all space - for strength.
Majesty: My view was a wonderful example of the majesty, the "greatness of appearance, dignity, grandeur" of God. Each of us as God's children reflects His dignity and grandeur. A dignified, grand expression is lovely and whole. So I, in turn, was whole and couldn't lack anything I rightfully needed.
Glory: Not only is all space covered by God and filled with His might and majesty, it's also filled with His glory. Sitting on that mountainside, the glory of God felt so evident.
The final sentence from the quotation encapsulates it all: "That is enough!"
By admitting the presence of lack and limitation, I was saying that God wasn't enough. I was saying that my problem wasn't covered by the depth, breadth, height, might, majesty, and glory of infinite Love. And that's just not possible.
As I sat there, I felt myself yielding to the power of this thought - that my financial position was more than adequately covered by the infinitude of Love. And that I didn't need to worry. I needed to trust. I began to affirm that because God is everywhere, He was right with me and was taking care of my every need.
Several days later, we received word that a piece of property we own had been rented ahead of schedule. The money from that transaction was exactly what we needed at that point. I rejoiced in the allness of God and in this beautiful answer to what felt like an insurmountable problem. And now, with this proof in hand, I feel much more confident about trusting God to take care of the rest of our needs.
When we pray, we can rejoice that God is Love, that He is both Father and Mother. After all, God's depth understands what we need. His breadth gives us additional blessings we might not have considered. His might handles and fixes our problems. His glory brings us needed grace, peace, and joy. Nothing is untouched by the vastness of God.