Is God's Heart Really That Big?

Sometimes I have a difficult time conceptualizing how big our God really is. I ask myself questions like...
... How can God know me and each of my roommates so personally and individually?
... How can He love the entire world... even the people groups who are completely unreached?
... Why does God care about me when there are innocent women being sold into the sex trafficking industry?
... How can He fully understand the complexities of each human being, but then also the communal dynamics?
... How does He remain faithful to those who hate Him? 

Is God's heart really that big?

This morning I was reading the Old Testament book of Jonah and the greatness of the Lord's heart became a little more evident.

God loved, pursued, and knew Jonah personally. He cared about Jonah and had a plan for him personally. He called Jonah to the city of Nineveh and He had purpose for him there. He provided for Jonah individually. "Then the Lord God provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the vine" (Jonah 4:6). God made a vine grow specifically for Jonah just to make him more comfortable... that is specific and individualized love and care.

And God feels that way about us individually as well... He loves us. He pursues us. He knows us. All individually.

But God also cared deeply for the Ninevites. The Ninevites were not exactly the world's most do-good people. In fact, the book of Nahum says that Nineveh was guilty of evil plots against God; exploitation of the helpless; cruelty in war; and idolatry, prostitution, and witchcraft. Nineveh was a truly wicked city, yet God loved them deeply too and asked Jonah to preach there. The Lord asks Jonah, "But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?" (Jonah 4:11). He cared about all 120,000 people of Nineveh despite their wickedness.

In our world today, God is concerned with the thousands of evil-doers that are hurting our world. He cares about them despite their wickedness. And that is really hard for me to swallow or to imagine, but...

Our God really does have a heart that big.

He is greater than this world and He is greater than our hearts (1 John 3:20). He is greater than all I can comprehend.

He is great enough to love me individually and great enough to love those doing evil.

And for that, I am glad.