Book excerpt: God is bigger than you think Many people feel both drawn to God and afraid of him. How can they feel close to a perfect God whom their flawed self is incapable of pleasing? Fortunately, God has revealed truths about himself in Scripture that can untangle our confusion. In this daily guide to studying and praying according to God's attributes, Ann Spangler resurrects old-fashioned words like holiness, omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. Far from boring us, these words, when excavated for their biblical meaning, paint a thrilling vision of God that can help us experience him more deeply. They can also prevent us from making the colossal mistake of concluding God is too weak, distant, or uncaring to help us when we need him. In the tradition of her bestselling books Praying the Names of God and Women of the Bible, this new devotional focuses on one particular attribute each week. Praying the Attributes of God will help you see that God is far bigger and far better than you could ever hope or suspect. At some point in our lives, many of us have fallen victim to an imbalanced, distorted view of God. Sometimes we see him as a hard god--all-seeing, all-powerful, and all-knowing, but not someone we can trust or get close to. Other times he's depicted as much softer--always tolerant and not too demanding, but not much better than we are. What we need is the perspective only God can give--a true and deeper vision of who he is as the almighty, everlasting God, who is holy and yet merciful, jealous and yet loving, righteous and yet forgiving. Let us not settle for a vision of God that is thin and anemic, one that will fall to pieces when life becomes more difficult than we can bear. Instead, let us pray that God will draw us out of our complacency so that we might hunger and thirst for more of him. As you read through this book, I hope you will share my sense that learning more about God's attributes is like drawing water from a deep well--the kind that can refresh and invigorate your faith. In the days and weeks ahead, may God give you the boldness to prayerfully insist that he nourish, sustain, and strengthen you with a clearer revelation of who he is. --Ann Spangler