Awe

Awe

Pause today…read slowly…savor each thought…and worship!

God, You live forever—You have no beginning and no end.

fire punchBy Your word, the foundations of the world were laid.

Mountains tremble, and the heavens bow at Your command.

Your lightning reaches the ends of the earth. Your thunder roars wondrously.

The heavens are telling the glory of God, and their expanse declares the works of His hands.

From Your breath ice is made, and the great expanse of the waters is frozen.

With moisture You load the thick clouds and change their direction.

Beautiful cloudscape over the seaWho else can spread out the skies like a molten mirror when the sun goes down?

Who else could lay the foundation of the earth, setting its measurements in perfect balance?

You enclosed the sea with doors, placing boundaries on it, saying here your proud waters stop.

You have entered the springs of the sea and walked in the deep recesses of the earth.

Dollarphotoclub_701202421-1024x787You have seen the storehouses of the snow and hail, and know their time of release.

You bring rain showers on the desert and satisfy the desolate land.

You create dew, making the seeds of grass and grain to sprout.

photo 7You lead forth a constellation in its season, binding the chains of Pleiades and the cords of Orion.

You arranged the ordinances of the heavens and fixed their rule over the earth.

You satisfy the appetite of the young lion, and know the time the mountain goats give birth.

horseGod, You see the ostrich flap her wings joyously, and have given the horse his might.

By Your understanding, You made a hawk to soar and caused the eagle to nest on high.

Your voice shakes the wilderness but also makes the deer calve.

All this speaks of Your wonder and majesty, things too wonderful for me!Continue reading

The Pleasure of God

The Pleasure of God

Who can say how these moments arrive? A sudden awareness, an unseen presence descending like a soothing breeze.

It happened to me one glorious fall day. The late afternoon sun felt warm on my skin. I’d been picking up trash, strewn along the roadside by our house.

IMG_1154With my garbage sack full, I strolled up the driveway, thinking about how seasons come and go and years slip by. A vague kind of loneliness came over me as one thought led to another. And then, God came near.

You’re so beautiful to Me, He whispered.

It had nothing to do with physical beauty. Time fades all that. Besides, I was grimy with dirt and perspiration. It seemed like such an odd thing for Him to say. Why then?

It had nothing to do with the fact that I was picking up other people’s garbage, as if that were something special. Concerned citizens in our town organize that kind of effort all the time.

It wasn’t like I’d just accomplished some great thing in my life. I was simply carrying a load of garbage up the driveway. But God seems to catch me off guard in quiet, solitary, mundane moments—maybe on purpose—so I won’t associate it with anything I’ve done.

He just wanted me to feel His pleasure.

Jesus BaptismJesus hadn’t even started his ministry when John baptized him in the Jordan River. Still, God said, “This is my son, in whom I am well pleased.” Of course, one might say, “That’s because it was Jesus,” but that same pleasure is for us.

Kindness Words in Sky Compassionate Generous BackgroundGod smiles when someone does the right thing and no one is looking. He rejoices over the marriage bed of a husband and wife who’ve remained faithful. He is moved by true contrition and forgiveness. He delights when we step into the purposes for which He made us. He notices surprising generosity, private worship, and honest prayers. He exults over each person who comes out of darkness into light.

It might sound prideful or pompous to say God takes pleasure in us. One could even say it smacks of self-righteousness. But His pleasure isn’t necessarily tied to our good behavior…Continue reading

How Deep and Long and Wide

How Deep and Long and Wide

On Sunday morning, February 5, 2012, I let my dog outside and noticed a jet exhaust line stretched out as far as the east is from the west. Other planes in the air had short exhaust tails that dissipated quickly. I thought—what kind of plane makes that long a line? A half hour later, the line was still there.

Later in the day, another jet line crossed the valley—this time north to south. Both lines, the same day. Such a curious thing! I wondered about it, because that particular day, I was studying Zechariah 2. I also read Matthew Henry’s Commentary to help me understand such a mystical Old Testament book. What struck me was this:

Hand holds a thick rope. On a white background.Zechariah 2: 1-4, talks about a man with a measuring line in his hands…

Then I looked up, and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand. I asked, “Where are you going?” He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is.” While the angel who was speaking to me was leaving, another angel came to meet him and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will be its glory within.’” (NIV)

Jesus, the Master Builder, is building room for multitudes. He is drawing up the plans and measuring out the perimeters for the “church”—how long and how wide (From Matthew Henry’s Commentary). The jet streams I saw in the sky completely stirred me. Perhaps God was saying something over our valley through these verses.

This background information has a purpose. Stay with me…wait for it!Continue reading