THE IMMANENCE AND TRANSCENDENCE OF GOD

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is mankind that You are mindful of them, human beings that You care for them?”  (Psalm 8:3-4 NIV)

“How long, Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, ‘I have overcome him,’ and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for He has been good to me.”  (Psalm 13:1-6 NIV)

The psalmists approached their friendship with God with... awe and wonder, and often turned their words into insistent witness. The sense of wonder is always there for the psalmist. He may complain about his life and even about the way he thinks God is treating him, yet the sense of wonder is never lost. I know of no literature that so recklessly brings together the immanence of God and the transcendence of God. The psalmist feels God is so approachable that he dares to raise questions about God's very character; then, suddenly, God is so eternal that the poet struggles for words to express his awe. 

-- J. Ellsworth Kalas in “Longing to Pray: How the Psalms Teach Us to Talk with God“

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THE GIFT OF CREATION

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth… God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.”  (Genesis 1:1,31a NIV)

Now there are several words to describe what God has done with His creation as outlined in the first chapter of Genesis, but I know of none that says it better than grace. This creation is, for sure, unmerited favor.

Soon after we finish the first chapter of Genesis we learn that we humans have not done well by this initial gift of grace… But what we humans have done to this creation doesn’t diminish the grace that first inspired God to make it or to trust it to our care. If anything, our fumblings only underscore the wonder of grace.

Someone recalls an evening a generation or two ago at a summer resort -- the kind that maintained a row of rocking chairs across the grand front porch of the hotel. The vacationers watched the sunset -- especially a somewhat overweight, unromantic-looking man who never moved his eyes from the scene. Another vacationer noticed his intentness. “You certainly enjoyed the sunset. Are you an artist?” “No, madam,” the man replied. “I’m a plumber, but for five years I was blind.”

I struggle often with the worst failure of vision, my dullness in realizing the wonder of creation that surrounds me. I’m grateful, mind you, but generally in a preoccupied and imperceptive way. Only occasionally do I recognize that the creation is a gift of grace. I haven’t earned any of it… All of it is unmerited.

But when I ponder the gift, I realize I must care for what is here and I must seek to restore what my ancestors and I have messed up. Because while grace is a gift, those who receive it are obligated to cooperate with its mood. 

– Excerpted from “Grace in a Tree Stump: Old Testament Stories of God’s Love” by J. Ellsworth Kalas

“Those who live at the ends of the earth
stand in awe of Your wonders.
From where the sun rises to where it sets,
You inspire shouts of joy.”  (Psalm 65:8 NLT)

I NEED TO WORSHIP

“When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped Him, saying, ‘Truly You are the Son of God.’”  (Matthew 14:32-33)

I need to worship because without it I can forget that I have a Big God beside me and live in fear. I need to worship because without it I can forget His calling and begin to live in a spirit of self-preoccupation. I need to worship because without it I lose a sense of wonder and gratitude and plod through life with blinders on. I need to worship because my natural tendency is toward self-reliance and stubborn independence. 

-- John Ortberg in “If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat”

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HOW IS IT WITH YOUR SOUL? - Part 2

“Christ encourages you, and His love comforts you. God’s Spirit unites you, and you are concerned for others. Now make me completely happy! Live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person. Don’t be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves. Care about them as much as you care about yourselves.”  (Philippians 2:1-4 CEV)

John Wesley’s question, “How is it with your soul?” can help make sure that we still find life in things that we may have taken for granted because of their routine-ness.

Someone once told me that prayer is to our souls as breathing is to our bodies. Wesley’s question helps me to make sure my soul is breathing. Reminding me… to pause… to pray… to wonder… to be in awe… to laugh… to cry… to sing. It reminds me that it’s OK to be human. And that it’s more than OK to admit that I’m not doing well and need a little help from my friends.

Maybe you could benefit from asking yourself, “How is it with my soul?” Or maybe you could help someone by asking how their soul is and then genuinely listen to their response. It’s an important question that we should ask and answer frequently.

-- Adapted from Joseph Yoo in “Ministry Matters” Blog


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REMAINING TEACHABLE

“Respect and obey the LORD! This is the beginning of knowledge. Only a fool rejects wisdom and good advice.”  (Proverbs 1:7 CEV)

“A green twig is hard to break,” many of us have heard as we were growing up. When you remain flexible and pliable in the hands of God, He can mold and shape you into your ultimate best. And if you continue to remain teachable, you will never grow old. Just as you did when you were a child, you will stand in wonder and awe at the mysteries of God’s great universe.

-- from “God’s Little Book of Proverbs: Timeless Wisdom for Daily Living”

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SEIZING THE MOMENT

It is hard to explain what God’s Spirit does for me and to me as I experience what otherwise might be mundane experiences and encounters. Somehow He creates within me a sensitivity to the wonders lurking within the ordinary people and things around me that some phenomenologists would call “mindfulness.” He makes me hyperaware of the radiant blessings (I can’t think of another word) that are everywhere around us, literally waiting to be acknowledged and enjoyed. Because of His indwelling presence I am truly able to “seize the day.”

-- Tony Campolo in “Why I Left, Why I Stayed”


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NO WONDER

We understand how storms are created. We map solar systems and transplant hearts. We measure the depths of the oceans and send signals to distant planets. We… have studied the system and are learning how it works.

And, for some, the loss of mystery has led to the loss of majesty. The more we know, the less we believe. Strange, don’t you think? Knowledge of the workings shouldn’t negate wonder. Knowledge should stir wonder. Who has more reason to worship than the astronomer who has seen the stars? Than the surgeon who has held a heart? Than the oceanographer who has pondered the depths? The more we know, the more we should be amazed.

Ironically, the more we know, the less we worship. We are more impressed with our discovery of the light switch than with the One who invented electricity… Rather than worship the Creator, we worship the creation (see Romans 1:25).

No wonder there is no wonder. We’ve figured it all out.

-- Max Lucado in “In the Grip of Grace”

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Editor's Note: Through my website -- DAVID T WILKINSON PHOTOGRAPHY -- I have tried to express some of this wonder that Max Lucado is talking about. Visit www.davidt-wilkinson.pixels.com.

MUSINGS ON A MIRACLE: THE WONDER OF CHRISTMAS – Part 1

NOTE: I was pleasantly surprised to recently find this “MUSINGS ON A MIRACLE” written 30 years ago by my late father-in-law Don Smith. I have divided it into nine parts to share here.

MUSINGS ON A MIRACLE: THE WONDER OF CHRISTMAS

What does Christmas mean to me?  Well, something more than a twinkling tree,
Something more than tinsel and toys, something more than transient joys;
Something more than a hectic rush, something more than commercial crush,
Something more than Santa and sleighs, something more than the latest craze;
Something more than boisterous song, something more than spirits strong,
Something more than a candle’s glow, something more than falling snow;
Something more than jingling bells, something more than organ swells,
Something more than cards and ribbon, something more than feasts and fibbin’.

Oh, it’s fun to celebrate and spend one’s cash at a rapid rate,
To see old friends, hear their latest news, think ahead to a winter cruise,
It’s quite OK to sing and pray, for Christmas is a special day,
But when warm hearts and heartburn too, fade away and the day is through –
What has it meant and what will last when the high of Christmastide is past?
Forget for now the old clichés, let’s think anew about the ways

In which we often blithely blunder and miss the mark of Christmas wonder;

Along with you I’d like to muse about some very special news,

Perhaps rethink our long-held views about the miracle of truths

Which said in rhyme or with good reason are at the heart of the Christmas season;

Surely, friends, to feel so glad, is something more than a passing fad,

Let’s focus in on this blessed event and probe its meaning before we’re spent;

In the midst of feasting, the frost and the fizz, let’s look and see what Christmas is,

As we hear the familiar story, may we discover a greater glory –

For all our ills a certain cure and a happy hope that will endure.

-- Don G. Smith, Lorne Park Baptist Church, Mississauga, Ontario, December 7, 1986

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