Transcendent Yet Present: The Mystery of God’s Nearness

You’ve underestimated God—and it’s affecting everything. Discover why the God who is infinitely beyond you is also the One who came closest of all.

So, how exactly is God transcendent?

1. God Transcends Our Worth

God’s value is beyond comparison. He is exalted far above all gods and all creation (Ps. 97:9). His greatness is so vast, we cannot even begin to grasp its boundaries—we would lose ourselves in the attempt (Ps. 145:3). When was the last time you were overwhelmed by the grandeur, power, glory, victory, and majesty of the one true God (1 Chr. 29:11)? When Isaiah saw the Lord, he was “high and lifted up” (Isa. 6:1), surrounded by angels declaring His holiness (Isa. 6:2–3; Rev. 4:8). That heavenly vantage point would cure us of the small view of God that so often plagues our worship.

2. God Transcends Our Understanding

God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours—as high as the heavens are above the earth (Isa. 55:8–9). His all-knowing perspective means there is nowhere we can go to escape His presence (Ps. 139:7; Jer. 23:24). Though it may frustrate us to not fully understand our circumstances, our limited knowledge reminds us to marvel at His limitless wisdom and trust in who He is, not what we can figure out.

3. God Transcends Our Capacity

We are finite; He is infinite. Job reminds us that God’s greatness stretches higher than heaven, deeper than the grave, broader than the earth, and wider than the sea (Job 11:7–10). Even the heavens cannot contain Him (1 Kgs. 8:27). He dwells in unapproachable light (1 Tim. 6:16) and holds the depths of the earth and the heights of the mountains in His hand (Ps. 95:3–5). His immensity is unmatched.

4. God Transcends Our Capability

God operates far outside the scope of our power. He suspends the earth on nothing (Job 26:7), and even the pillars of heaven tremble at His voice (Job 26:11). What we witness are only the edges of His power (Job 26:14). From His throne above the circle of the earth, even the strongest among us appear as grasshoppers (Isa. 40:22).

5. God Transcends Our Rationale

God does not owe us predictable behavior. He is not subject to our expectations or summoned by our desires. His appearances in Scripture often bring trembling, awe, and repentance. Abraham called himself “dust and ashes” (Gen. 18:27), Job covered his mouth (Job 40:4), Isaiah cried out in despair (Isa. 6:5), Daniel collapsed (Dan. 10:15–17), and Peter begged Jesus to leave due to his unworthiness (Luke 5:8). A true encounter with God never leaves a person the same. Those who genuinely meet Him never walk away with a swagger—only a limp, like Jacob after wrestling with God (Gen. 32:31).

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The Perspective We Need

If God is truly this transcendent, what does that say about us?

It makes us feel small—and that’s a good thing. Realizing you are not as high as you once assumed is actually healing for the soul. When you grasp even a fraction of God’s splendor and contrast it with your insignificance, it highlights a staggering truth: the God who is high above has come down below out of love for you.

David puts it this way:

“For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar” (Ps. 138:6).

Isaiah adds:

“Thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit…’” (Isa. 57:15).

The God who should have cast us aside chose instead to come near. He became one of us (John 1:14; Phil. 2:7) to bring us to Himself. That’s the paradox of transcendence: the One infinitely above us came unimaginably close to rescue us. Let that truth reshape your heart, your worship, and your life.