I love those "God Moments" that happen unexpectedly. In Mosaic Canyon, I had one of those when I was between a slower and faster group and I had a few minutes with a section
of the canyon all to myself. It was one of those moments when the clamor
of the crowd disappears and in the quietness, the presence of the Creator
is very near. As I slowly walked along drinking in both His presence
and the beauty of this canyon, trailing my hand along the amazing
marble sides, I was struck with such awe at His creativity and
imagination! I'm so humbled that He thought up this amazing planet for us
to live on just because He loves us so much! He didn't have to make it beautiful, but He did because that's Who He is! The
unimaginable power it took to crush these rocks together, to carve
out the canyon, to form all of this causes me to stand in awe of Him, because as huge as all that is, He is so much bigger!
He is not a distant God as many suppose, but as near as our breath,
longing to be in relationship with us. As I’ve drawn closer to Him
and learned more of His character and of His vast love, I see Him in
all kinds of unexpected places. As I felt the rock
wall, I thought of how He is called my Strong Tower, and the
solidness of the rock was but a hint of His strength."He alone is my rock and my salvation, my defense and my strong tower; I will not be shaken or disheartened." Psalms 62:2 The Passion Translation
I
think of His faithfulness, of His mercy, of His kindness. When the
vastness of creation overwhelms me, I think of how He has
chosen me. Out of this enormous planet, solar system, and galaxy. He
chose me. Wow. And to think that He loves me enough to not only
create this amazing planet I call home, but He made a way for me to
be restored. Restored not only to a right relationship with Him, but
restored in my heart through healing and forgiveness and letting
things go. Restored in my body as He touches places that need His
healing touch. Restored relationships that had gotten broken.
Restored sense of purpose that had been trampled and left behind
somewhere. Abundantly restored! When He goes to do something, I’ve
discovered that He doesn’t just do almost enough or barely enough,
but more than enough! This is an extravagant God! He loves with more
than enough, with abundance of goodness and resources. He brings
order from chaos not just in the universe, but in our lives. His
power is beyond what I can imagine, but I get a glimpse here and
there, like in that canyon, and it gives me hope. This hope does not
disappoint because He has promised and He is faithful."And this hope is not a disappointing fantasy, because we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us!" Romans 5:5 The Passion Translation
Perhaps
to some who have never experienced His goodness, it might seem a bit too good to be true. In this world which is fairly cynical, it seems crazy to have such hope, to know such love. Satan has been very busy
defaming God so that people won’t see how good He is. Once
you have tasted of His goodness, you totally get it! Not only that,
you don’t want anything else because you discover how much He
satisfies every longing of your heart. He is more than enough! There
is such rest in that. Such rest in knowing that I don’t have to
strive to please some angry God waiting to strike with lightning
if I blow it. Rather, I can rest in His goodness, rest in the work
that Jesus did by dying on the cross and then coming back to life to
make a way for me to be friends with God. He did all the work. I just have to believe and trust.
How amazing is that? I get to believe and accept and rest. I get to trade my sin, sadness, brokenness for His forgiveness, joy and restoration. It’s pretty clear to me that I’m getting the best part of this trade! Clearly I'm His favorite. But then, you can be His favorite, too!
"Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Then come to Me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis." Matthew 11:28 The Passion Translation.
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