In the early twentieth-century Donald Grey Barnhouse was recognized as an amazing preacher in America. Barnhouse had graduated from Princeton Seminary and was asked to return there to preach to the students. His mentor, Robert Dick Wilson, a scholar and highly respected Hebrew professor at Princeton Seminary sat in the front of the room while Barnhouse preached.
Barnhouse was surprised to see Dr. Wilson approaching him after the service. “When my boys come back, I come to see if they are big-godders or little-godders, and then I know what their ministry will be,”[1] Dr. Wilson said.
Barnhouse then asked Dr. Wilson to explain what he meant. “Well, some men have a little god and they are always in trouble with him. He can’t do any miracles. He can’t take care of the inspiration and transmission of the Scriptures to us. He doesn’t intervene on behalf of his people. They have a little god and I call them little-godders. Then there are those who have a great God. He speaks and it is done. He commands and it stands fast. He knows how to show himself strong on behalf of them that fear him.”[2]
According to Dr. Wilson, Donald Grey Barnhouse was a “big-godder.” He worshipped a big God that was in control of the world and could do mighty works.
In Habakkuk 3:3–15 we see Habakkuk showing the size of God to Judah as they prepare to go through the purging judgment of Babylon in the next couple of years. Habakkuk 3:3b describes one of the awesome appearances of God, “His splendor covers the heavens, and the earth is full of his praise.”[3] Habakkuk 3:13 describes one of the amazing acts of God, “You went forth for the salvation of Your people, for the salvation of Your anointed. You struck the head of the house of the evil to lay him open from thigh to neck. Selah.”
Habakkuk 3:3–15 contains a visual revelation. These verses are a positive response to Habakkuk’s prayer for divine mercy in Habakkuk 3:1–2. In response to Habakkuk’s prayer (recorded in Hab 3:1–2) God gives Habakkuk a reminder of God’s past mighty acts. Those reminders of God’s past mighty acts are designed to stimulate faith in God for the future.
Habakkuk 3:3–15 is a theophany.[4] A theophany is a manifestation of God on earth and “an appearance of God in great power and glory.”[5] We must remember that we worship a big God that overcomes any situation we are in, that produces good even in troubled times, and that shines light in only darkness.
I love this quote from Warren Wiersbe, “There is no substitute for good theology, whether in our sermons or in our songs. The shallowness of some contemporary sermons, books, and songs may be the major contributing factor to the weakness of the church and the increase in ‘religious entertainment’ in meetings where we ought to be praising God. The thing that lifted Habakkuk to the mountaintop was his understanding of the greatness of God. We need a return to the kind of worship that focuses on the glory of God and seeks to honor Him alone.”[6]
Like Donald Grey Barnhouse, we need to be “big-godders.” Let’s worship a big God, focus on his glory, and seek to honor him alone.
[1] Donald Grey Barnhouse, Let Me Illustrate (Revell, 1967), 132–33.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.
[4] The clearest theophany in Scripture, besides Habakkuk 3:3–15, is Exodus 19:9, 18.
[5] Waylon Bailey, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, vol. 20, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 358.
[6] Warren Wiersbe, Be Amazed: Restoring an Attitude of Wonder and Worship (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2010), 163.