Monday, July 25, 2011

Awesome!


Driving through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado inspires awe. Towering peaks that climb to 14,000 feet above sea level leave a person breathless, literally. That rugged terrain has such grandeur, it defies description. Standing on the beach on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in the early dawn, wrapped by the sound of the roll and crash of the ocean as gulls screech and whirl overhead, is an experience of which I never tire. Listening to a Beethoven symphony stills my soul. A baby’s murmur makes me cry.

The Name of Jesus rises above all that!  In time of sorrow, when my heart overflows with gladness, when I am hemmed in by troubles, when I need a Friend- I just say, “Jesus.” His Name is a prayer for me, a one word song of my soul, a declaration of my hope, a shout of triumph. One day when it is time to breathe my last, I hope my final word is “Jesus” for He is the Last Word! Yes, He is awesome in a way that nothing and no one can be.

Disciple, are you awed by the Lord or is your relationship with Him a practical and utilitarian one alone?
Do you worship Him because His majesty takes your breath away or because you hope to get something from Him?

Awe, it seems to me, is lost on many Christians. They speak of Jesus with a familiarity that implies He is a fishing buddy, a companion from the golf course. Such familiarity, while admirable in one way, robs us of the ability to completely trust Him, to obey Him without question, and to admire His wisdom. Yes, Jesus is our Friend, but He is also the Lord of Glory, the King of Heaven.  He is the Son of Man in Luke’s Gospel who held little children on His lap. I never forget that.  But, I remember that He is also revealed in these words: "Standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance." (Revelation 1:13-16, NLT)

Pray for new revelation of the majesty of our King of Glory. Renew your appreciation for the works of His Creation, for the love that brought salvation, for the Resurrection that is our assurance of all things True. Worship Him!

"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
From the lips of children and infants you
have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?

You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and
crowned him with glory and honor.
You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:
all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!"
(Psalm 8, NIV)

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