When I was a little girl toys were much simpler than they are these days. They weren’t electronic, they were manual. One of the favorite toys of very small children was the jack-in-the-box, which was basically a box with a crank on the side. When the crank was turned it played a melody (often “Pop Goes the Weasel”). At the end of the song, the lid popped open and a figure, usually a clown, popped out of the box. This was quite hilarious to little children who soon learned to stuff the clown back into the box and start the game all over again. As I mentioned, those were simpler times.

My research of the history of the jack-in-the-box revealed that the first mechanical or wind-up toys were made back in Grecian times, but watchmakers and clock makers revived the art during the 1400s. Early in the 1500s, a German clockmaker named Claus made a box for a local prince whose son was about to celebrate his fifth birthday. A simple wooden box with metal edges and a handle, and with a turn of the crank produced a simple tune and out popped a ‘Jack,’ a Devil, a comical version with a leering smile.

As a pastor and life-long churchgoer, I have often heard pastors refer to God as if He were one of those wind-up toys, a literal “God-in-the-box.” They make statements like:

“If you come back to tonight’s service you will see God show up in a mighty way”
“Come to the conference and meet God – watch His Holy Spirit manifest in this place”
“Come out to the mid-week service where God is going to heal the sick”

Really? These statements sound rather presumptuous to me. If we believe that God is all-powerful, all knowing and omnipresent – He’s everywhere – can we really confine him to a box? How dare we presume to contain God and “let him loose” at our will?

To get a picture of God’s power we need only look at elements of nature; thunder and lightning, or a tidal wave or tornado. Have you ever visited Niagara Falls or stood on the edge of the Grand Canyon? The Bible is full of scriptures that describe God’s power and glory. I have selected a few for your consideration:

“But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I prayed to my God for help.
He heard me from his sanctuary my cry to him reached his ears, then the earth quaked and trembled. The foundations of the mountains shook; they quaked because of his anger Smoke poured from his nostrils; fierce flames leaped from his mouth. Glowing coals blazed forth from him. He opened the heavens and came down; dark storm clouds were beneath his feet. Mounted on a mighty angelic being, he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind. He shrouded himself in darkness, veiling his approach with dark rain clouds.
Thick clouds shielded the brightness around him and rained down hail and burning coals. The LORD thundered from heaven the voice of the Most High resounded amid the hail and burning coals. He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; his lightning flashed, and they were greatly confused. Then at your command, O LORD at the blast of your breath, the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare.” (Psalm 18:6-15, NLT)

“You, O God, are my king from ages past, bringing salvation to the earth.
You split the sea by your strength and smashed the heads of the sea monsters.

You crushed the heads of Leviathan and let the desert animals eat him. You caused the springs and streams to gush forth, and you dried up rivers that never run dry. Both day and night belong to you; you made the starlight and the sun. You set the boundaries of the earth and you made both summer and winter.” (Psalm 74:12-17, NLT)

“Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: “Praise the LORD! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.” (Revelation 19:6, NLT)

Does this sound like a God that can be contained, control or manipulated? I don’t think so! We would be wise to quiet ourselves, take time to contemplate His nature and allow Him to reveal Himself to each of us. How great is our God? I think you’ll find that He is much greater than you think!