Blue Yonder Wonder
Psalm 136:1-9,
23-26
Give thanks to the Lord,
for He is good,
for His steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for His steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
to Him who alone does great wonders,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
to Him who by understanding made the heavens,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
to Him who spread out the earth above the waters,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
to Him who made the great lights,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
the sun to rule over the day,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
The moon and stars to rule over the night,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
It is He who remembered us in our low estate,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
and rescued us from our foes,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
He who gives food to all flesh,
for His steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for His steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord,
for He is good,
for His steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for His steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
to Him who alone does great wonders,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
to Him who by understanding made the heavens,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
to Him who spread out the earth above the waters,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
to Him who made the great lights,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
the sun to rule over the day,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
The moon and stars to rule over the night,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
It is He who remembered us in our low estate,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
and rescued us from our foes,
for His steadfast love endures forever;
He who gives food to all flesh,
for His steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for His steadfast love endures forever.
30,000 feet
I was on a flight a few months ago when a sweet boy in
front of me, barely 5 years old, started giggling while we were midair. At
first, dread struck me because we were only about 15 minutes into our 2 hour
flight. I am usually a very personable gal, until I'm on a flight. I think
since it's one of the few times I truly find myself alone and unable to be
reached, I like retreating in seclusion. In other words, if you ever fly with
me, please do not be offended if I am less than talkative. :-)
But this time, I was impacted, and I'll never forget the
lessons I learned.
As he craned his little neck to peer out of the small window, he continued giggling as well as adding a very distinct and resounding "wow" every few minutes. His mother was slightly embarrassed and tried to quiet him down, but he wouldn't give up very easily. I remember him looking at her, wide-eyed and cheerful responding to her solicitations saying, "Momma, it's so cool!"
My heart was instantly charmed by his childish wonderment. I joined him, staring out the window, and was also suddenly enraptured by the beautiful complexity of Creation. I marveled at how the ground 30,000 feet below me seemed to look like a patchwork quilt that God laid out just to his specification. The lines and curves of each forest, river, or lake was so intricately unique that no two ever looked the same. For the next hour I, like my little friend, simply gave in to the wonder of it all. I believe I even giggled too. I've always enjoyed beautiful landscapes, but there's just something different about looking at it from above. Even things like large semi-trucks and warehouses look like toy models. When is the last time you were caught up in the perplexity of Creation and your place in it?
All that beauty and still He wants, pursues, loves, and died for me.
It reminds me of heavenly perspective. I'm afraid so many times I'm stuck on earth, only seeing the little bitty piece of the puzzle laying right before me. When I realize that my struggles, my pain, my insecurity, and my "big drama" are no "big obstacle" for God, then life is different. When I see life that way, I believe He can move mountains, craft beauty out of simplicity, and awe out of complexity.
Don't misunderstand. Your situations and your circumstances matter to God. The section of Psalm 136 that I didn't include above talks about how He took care of Israel. How He delivered them from Pharaoh, opened the Red Sea for them to walk through, and guided them SAFELY through the wilderness. Believe me, as they saw the journey from an earthly, horizontal view, that wasn't exactly the picture of His love. Their circumstances were less than favorable. I mean, they were in the wilderness a LONG TIME!!! But, heavenly perspective shows the providence and protection that God provided each step of the way.
You do matter to God, and even when you feel as though His guidance seems more like punishment or even cruelty, believe that His steadfast, never ending, unwavering love is with you. His divine care is watching over you, and He will never leave you left to wander alone in the wilderness straight into a trap.
I want to see my world like I'm midair, hanging over it, realizing that every piece is going to fit together. And you know what else? It's okay for my threads to be different colors, go in different directions and even be a little tattered, cause that's the beautiful patchwork of Creation – an eccentric conglomerate of all of our relationships with our Creator, messy yet beautiful, confusing yet making perfect sense, hard yet worth every toil, and utterly blessed.
As he craned his little neck to peer out of the small window, he continued giggling as well as adding a very distinct and resounding "wow" every few minutes. His mother was slightly embarrassed and tried to quiet him down, but he wouldn't give up very easily. I remember him looking at her, wide-eyed and cheerful responding to her solicitations saying, "Momma, it's so cool!"
My heart was instantly charmed by his childish wonderment. I joined him, staring out the window, and was also suddenly enraptured by the beautiful complexity of Creation. I marveled at how the ground 30,000 feet below me seemed to look like a patchwork quilt that God laid out just to his specification. The lines and curves of each forest, river, or lake was so intricately unique that no two ever looked the same. For the next hour I, like my little friend, simply gave in to the wonder of it all. I believe I even giggled too. I've always enjoyed beautiful landscapes, but there's just something different about looking at it from above. Even things like large semi-trucks and warehouses look like toy models. When is the last time you were caught up in the perplexity of Creation and your place in it?
All that beauty and still He wants, pursues, loves, and died for me.
It reminds me of heavenly perspective. I'm afraid so many times I'm stuck on earth, only seeing the little bitty piece of the puzzle laying right before me. When I realize that my struggles, my pain, my insecurity, and my "big drama" are no "big obstacle" for God, then life is different. When I see life that way, I believe He can move mountains, craft beauty out of simplicity, and awe out of complexity.
Don't misunderstand. Your situations and your circumstances matter to God. The section of Psalm 136 that I didn't include above talks about how He took care of Israel. How He delivered them from Pharaoh, opened the Red Sea for them to walk through, and guided them SAFELY through the wilderness. Believe me, as they saw the journey from an earthly, horizontal view, that wasn't exactly the picture of His love. Their circumstances were less than favorable. I mean, they were in the wilderness a LONG TIME!!! But, heavenly perspective shows the providence and protection that God provided each step of the way.
You do matter to God, and even when you feel as though His guidance seems more like punishment or even cruelty, believe that His steadfast, never ending, unwavering love is with you. His divine care is watching over you, and He will never leave you left to wander alone in the wilderness straight into a trap.
I want to see my world like I'm midair, hanging over it, realizing that every piece is going to fit together. And you know what else? It's okay for my threads to be different colors, go in different directions and even be a little tattered, cause that's the beautiful patchwork of Creation – an eccentric conglomerate of all of our relationships with our Creator, messy yet beautiful, confusing yet making perfect sense, hard yet worth every toil, and utterly blessed.
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