imagining God
How do your imaginations of God shape your actions in the world?
Psalm 18:2
YHWH—
my mountain crag
my fortress,
my rescuer,
my God,
my rock behind whom I take refuge,
my shield,
my horn of deliverance,
my stronghold!
It’s interesting how the metaphors that people use for God tell us so much about the contexts that they’re facing.
David, the writer of Psalm 18, is clearly in the midst of or just finished a contentious battle. His language envisions a fortress God, a protector, a safe place in the violence of the war.
Sometimes as we read scripture we make assumptions that this is also how we are to understand God. And so our images and ideas of God are shaped by someone else’s context and imaginings.
What if we were to give God metaphors that reflected our experiences and contexts, shaping visions of a God who meets our needs?
This is my attempt today.
Oh Creator,
my mama bear,
my pen that writes justice,
my megaphone on the picket line,
my truth and my advocate.
What are your metaphors for God today?
How do your imaginations of God shape your actions in the world? What words do you use to describe God today?
— Candace Woods
Theological imagination is highly underrated, and necessary if we're to even begin to fathom God at all.
Oh, I love this; thank you for the invitation to imagine God anew. I think God as gardener is resonating with me today.