Psalm 147:5
Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

Science and math often have to resort to symbols to describe concepts that would otherwise have no meaning. Large numbers can be represented by such symbols as 10^¹⁰⁰⁰, but we cannot really comprehend such a number. We can know what it is supposed to mean, but we cannot understand it in actuality. We can know that there are billions of stars in our galaxy, but we can never truly appreciate what that means in reality. We can measure the distance to planets and stars in light-years, but our minds just can’t comprehend such a vast distance. The concepts of infinity and eternity are used to describe time and distance, but our finite minds can’t grasp the full reality of those things.

In the same way, God is truly past our finding out. We try to represent Him in human terms that we can understand, but He is so much above anything our minds can comprehend. We can know things about God, and we can know Jesus personally as Lord and Savior. We can have fellowship with Him and learn about Him through His Word. We can compare Him to things we can understand and use human terms to describe His character. But any idea we might have of God is really inadequate to describe the full greatness that He embodies.

It may be a good exercise for us to stretch our minds a bit, to imagine as much as we can out to the far limits of our minds and hearts and understanding. We can think of the deepest love we’ve ever felt and know that God’s love goes deeper. We can imagine the kindest, most generous, most gracious person we know and just realize that God’s kindness, generosity, and grace stretches far wider. We can imagine the farthest bounds of the universe and know that God is bigger. We can think of the most powerful forces at work on our Earth and know that God’s power is mightier. It should inspire greater love and appreciation and reverence in our hearts to catch even the smallest glimpse of His true nature.

It is, in some ways, helpful to know that we are limited but God is not. What we see as impossible is easy for God. Where our vision stops at just a short distance, God sees far beyond. It staggers the mind, really. It’s difficult to imagine these kinds of things—the greatness of our Lord and His power, His infinite understanding. But it is because of our limits and His greatness that He can get the glory and praise that He truly deserves. And it shows us why it is so necessary for us to have complete faith and trust in Him and Him alone.