GOD IS TRANSCENDENT

“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?”

Exodus 15:11

Additional Reading: Deuteronomy 3:24; 2 Samuel 7:22; Ephesians 4:4–6; Hebrews 1:3

Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, is one of the most iconic mountains in the world. While Table Mountain is beautiful from below, the views from the top are even more breathtaking—Lion’s Head, Camp’s Bay, the Twelve Apostles. There’s nothing like standing on a mountain peak, looking down at the world around you. But at some point, we all have to leave the mountain peak and make the long trek back down to reality.

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Because God is transcendent, miracles are possible.

Thankfully, the same is not true for our awesome God. As Creator, God is transcendent. That means He is distinct from everything else in creation, surpassing the laws of nature. He dwells in the high and holy place, and there is no one and nothing in the world like Him. He exercises control and authority in all of creation, and the miraculous becomes possible.

In Exodus 15, Moses and the people of Israel lift a song of praise to the Lord after He miraculously parted the Red Sea and delivered them from the hands of Pharaoh. After seeing God’s transcendent power on full display, they sing, “Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” In defeating the Egyptians, the Lord also showed that He was mightier than the Egyptians’ gods. There is no obstacle or opposition too big for our awesome God!

As we begin this week of prayer and fasting, you face your own obstacles and opposition to your faith. You may be praying for the salvation of a loved one, for healing for you or someone close to you, or financial breakthrough. Or you may be dealing with trials, temptations, and testings in your faith. You’re holding on to God and crying out for a miracle. Be in faith. Because God is above His creation, He can part a sea, make manna rain from heaven, and cause water to spring forth from a rock. Through Him, we can trust that miracles can and do happen.

BECAUSE GOD IS TRANSCENDENT,
MIRACLES ARE POSSIBLE.

NOTES

Write down your thoughts on today’s devotional. Pray that God will continue to speak as you reflect.

REFLECT

Are you currently facing an obstacle or opposition to your faith? What is it?

Do you find it easy or hard to believe that God can do a miracle in your life? How can meditating on His transcendence increase your faith?

PRAY

“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?”

Exodus 15:11

Heavenly Father, You are exalted in the heavens yet near to Your children. I rest in the fact that You are transcendent and powerful. Through You, anything is possible. The Israelites saw Your power on display when You parted the Red Sea, and I ask that You would move through the difficulties I face today. You alone are awesome in glorious deeds, and I thank You that You hear my prayers. In Jesus’ name, amen.

ANG DIYOS ANG HIGIT NA NANGINGIBABAW SA LAHAT

“O Panginoon, sino po ba ang Diyos na katulad n’yo? Wala kayong katulad sa kabanalan at kapangyarihan. Kayo lang po ang Diyos na gumagawa ng mga kamangha-manghang bagay!"

Exodus 15:11 ASND

Basahin Din: Deuteronomio 3:24; 2 Samuel 7:22; Mga Taga-Efeso 4:4–6; Mga Hebreo 1:3

Ang Table Mountain sa Cape Town, South Africa, ay isa sa mga pinakakilalang bundok sa buong mundo. Kahit na maganda ang Table Mountain kung titingnan mula sa ibaba, ang tanawin mula sa itaas nito ay maka-pigil hininga—ang Lion’s Head, Camp’s Bay, at Twelve Apostles. Ang tumayo sa tuktok ng bundok upang makita ang mga nasa ibaba at ang mundo sa paligid nito ay hindi maitutulad sa kung anuman. Sa kabila nito, darating pa rin ang oras na kailangang iwan ang tuktok ng bundok upang maglakbay pababa tungo sa katotohanan.

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Dahil ang Diyos ang kataas-taasan sa lahat, posible ang mga himala.

Mabuti na lamang at hindi ito ang katotohanan ng ating kahangahangang Diyos. Bilang ating Manlilikha, ang Diyos ay nangingibabaw sa lahat. Nangangahulugan ito na Siya ay naiiba sa anumang bagay na nilikha at hindi nasasakop ng mga batas ng kalikasan. Nananahan Siya sa mataas at banal na lugar, at walang sinuman o anuman sa mundo na katulad Niya. Siya ang nasusunod at may kapangyarihan sa lahat ng nilikha, at sa Kanya, ang mga bagay na imposible ay nagiging posible.

Sa Exodus 15, si Moises at ang mga mamamayan ng Israel ay nagbigay ng awit ng papuri sa Panginoon matapos ang mahimalang paghati sa Dagat na Pula na nagpalaya sa kanila mula sa mga kamay ng Faraon. Matapos makita ang nangingibabaw na kapangyarihan ng Diyos, sila ay umawit, “O Panginoon, sino po ba ang Diyos na katulad nʼyo? Wala kayong katulad sa kabanalan at kapangyarihan. Kayo lang po ang Diyos na gumagawa ng mga kamangha-manghang bagay!” Sa pagkatalo ng mga taga-Ehipto, ipinakita rin Niya na Siya ang mas makapangyarihan kaysa sa mga diyos-diyosan ng Ehipto. Walang anumang balakid o oposisyon ang mas hihigit pa sa ating kahanga-hangang Diyos!

Sa pagsisimula natin ngayong linggo ng pananalangin at pag-aayuno, haharapin mo ang mga balakid at oposisyon mo sa pananampalataya. Maaaring ipinapanalangin mo ang kaligtasan ng isang mahal sa buhay, kagalingan para sa iyo o sa isang mahal mo sa buhay, o kaya ay kaunlarang pinansyal. Maaaring ikaw ay humaharap sa mga paghihirap, tukso, at pagsubok sa iyong pananampalataya. Ikaw ay kumakapit sa Diyos at humihingi ng isang himala. Manalig ka. Dahil ang Diyos ay nakahihigit sa Kanyang mga nilikha, magagawa Niyang paghiwalayin ang dagat, magpaulan ng manna mula sa langit, at magpaagos ng tubig mula sa bato. Sa pamamagitan Niya, magagawa nating umasa na ang mga himala ay maaaring maganap, at sa katunayan ay nagaganap na nga.

DAHIL ANG DIYOS ANG KATAAS-TAASAN SA LAHAT,
POSIBLE ANG MGA HIMALA.

MGA NATUTUNAN

Isulat ang mga naisip mo tungkol sa debosyonal ngayong araw. Ipanalangin na patuloy na mangusap sa iyo ang Diyos habang lalo mong pinag-iisipan ang mga ito.

PAG-ISIPAN

Ikaw ba ay kasalukuyang humaharap sa mga balakid at oposisyon sa iyong pananampalataya? Anu-ano ang mga ito?

Madali ba o mahirap para sa iyo ang maniwala na kaya ng Diyos na gumawa ng mga himala sa iyong buhay? Paano mapalalakas ang iyong pananampalataya ng kaisipan na Siya ay higit na nangingibabaw sa lahat?

MANALANGIN

“O Panginoon, sino po ba ang Diyos na katulad n’yo? Wala kayong katulad sa kabanalan at kapangyarihan. Kayo lang po ang Diyos na gumagawa ng mga kamangha-manghang bagay!"

Exodus 15:11

Ama sa langit, Ikaw ay dakila sa kalangitan, ngunit Ikaw rin ay malapit sa Iyong mga anak. Nananalig ako sa katotohanan na Ikaw ay higit na nangingibabaw sa lahat at makapangyarihan. Sa pamamagitan Mo, maaaring mangyari ang anumang bagay. Nakita ng mga Israelita ang Iyong kapangyarihan nang hatiin Mo ang Dagat na Pula, at hinihiling ko na Ikaw ay kumilos sa gitna ng mga kinakaharap kong paghihirap sa kasalukuyan. Ikaw lamang ang kahanga-hanga sa lahat ng Iyong mga dakilang nilikha, at nagpapasalamat ako na naririnig Mo ang aking mga panalangin. Sa pangalan ni Jesus, amen.

GOD IS A MIRACLE-WORKER

“Lord, who among the gods is like you?
Who is like you?
You are majestic and holy.
Your glory fills me with wonder.
You do amazing things.”

Exodus 15:11 NIRV

Have you ever had a pet dog or cat? They seemed all cute and cuddly and fluffy at first, but it turned out it wasn’t as easy as you thought to take care of them. Your pet needs food and water. You can’t give it too little food or it will starve. You can’t give it too much or it will be unhealthy! They need a place to do their business. Someone needs to pick up after them. You also can’t just give them food and water; they need time, attention, and love.

Taking care of pets may seem hard, but imagine actually creating pets! Only God Himself can do that. God made animals, plants, and everything else on the earth out of nothing. How amazing is that? He created our complex bodies—every strand of hair and every blood cell. God made each of the 8.7 million species in the world, and this is just what we’ve discovered so far.

God is doing amazing miracles every day, whether we know it or not. In Exodus 15, Moses sang a song of praise after God miraculously parted the Red Sea so that the Israelites could escape from the Egyptians. The Scripture we read is part of his song. The Israelites sang, “Lord, who among the gods is like You? Who is like You? . . . You do amazing things.”

There are many more miracles we can find in the Bible. In the New Testament, God sent Jesus to show us His power on earth. During Jesus’ ministry, He made a blind man see, He made a lame man walk, He raised people from the dead—and so much more. But there is another miracle that God gives us. It is the miracle of having your life changed through believing and trusting in what Jesus did on the cross for us. It is impossible for people to change without the help of God. The great thing is that as we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He will transform us from people who always sin into people who are becoming more and more like Him.

BECAUSE GOD IS A MIRACLE-WORKER,
I CAN TRUST HIM EVEN IN SITUATIONS THAT SEEM IMPOSSIBLE.

REFLECT

God wants us to go to Him and seek Him every day so we can have a stronger relationship with Him. One way to do this is writing down what you are praying for. If you haven’t been doing that, it’s okay! Let’s try it now. But aside from writing your prayers, try drawing them, too.
(Example: If your prayer is for your family to have your dream home, draw the house you are praying for. If you want to be excellent in school, draw a picture of yourself getting high grades on your exams.)

PRAY

Dear God, You are indeed a God who does amazing things. You are so powerful that You can do anything, and because of this I can have peace. As You parted the Red Sea to let the Israelites cross through, I pray that You will also help me get through any challenges I’m facing. Thank You for hearing my prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.