He's Personal

Ava Pennington’s creative mind challenges my thinking about God. Ava wrote a book about the names, character and attributes of God, and she is the perfect person to write this Spiritual UPGRADE post.

“Thirty years ago, a phrase entered our collective frame of reference,” Ava writes. “Christian or not, almost all of us can identify the source of the quote, ‘May the Force be with you.’” 

I (Dawn) remember the first time I heard that phrase. I thought, “The Force? The FORCE? What about God?” I wanted people to understand God is more than a mere force. He is a Person, the Controller of the universe, but also Someone who loves me.

Ava continues …

Star Wars isn’t just a Hollywood franchise, it’s a cultural icon. And the theology of Star Wars has wormed its way into the minds of many Christians. Yet after three decades of subtle and not-so-subtle influence, most of us still don’t realize the impact.

One Star Wars character described the Force this way: "It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together." The fictional Force sounds a lot like God, doesn’t it? But if this is our view of God, then it’s time to upgrade our view.

"Praise be to the Lord my Rock.... He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge" (Psalm 144:1-2 NIV).

The first time I read these verses, I focused on the names and attributes of God: Lord, loving God, fortress, stronghold, deliverer, shield, refuge. Each one tells us something about God’s nature and His ways—important concepts to meditate upon, and like David, to use as a basis for praise and worship.

But the second time I studied these verses, my attention was drawn to a small word I had previously overlooked: My.

Before David ruled as the second king of ancient Israel, he was a shepherd and then a fugitive. He penned his Psalms from personal experiences and identified each name and attribute with a sense of ownership

My Rock. My loving God. My fortress. My stronghold. My deliverer. My shield.

My Rock. The ground shifted under David’s feet with frightening regularity. One minute a shepherd boy, the next anointed as king. One moment he was best friends with a prince, the next a fugitive from the prince’s father. Through it all, David knew the personal privilege of standing on the eternal Rock.

My loving God. David understood what it meant to be unappreciated. When the prophet Samuel sought Jesse’s sons, Jesse neglected to include David. Later, his brothers dismissed him when he appeared at their war camp.

My fortress. My stronghold. Running from King Saul, David and his men hid in unlikely places to escape Saul’s wrath. But David knew a cave was as safe as a fortress while under God’s protection.

My deliverer. David’s life was often in jeopardy. Yet God rescued him as a shepherd defending against wild animals, in combat with Goliath, or from Saul’s murderous attempts.

My shield. David respected the value of a shield. Still, he refused Saul’s shield when he faced Goliath. David understood God was more effective than any earthly shield.

David knew about God as the Creator of the Universe and the One who holds the universe together. But he wasn’t content with knowing God as an impersonal force. Instead, David used his experiences to upgrade his view of God as more than a force … God is personal!

Do you need to upgrade your view of God from an impersonal force to a personal Father? As you read the Bible, ask yourself what the passage is saying about God. Then consider how God has personally revealed Himself to you by that name or attribute.

Ava Pennington's newest book, Daily Reflections on the Names of God: A Devotional, is endorsed by Kay Arthur, founder of Precept Ministries. She has also written numerous magazine articles and is a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers (AWSA) and the Christian Authors Network (CAN). Ava also teaches a weekly Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) class of 175+ women. She is a passionate speaker who engages audiences with relevant, enjoyable presentations. Visit her at AvaWrites.com.