The Beauty of God
I remember as a child praying the same prayer everyday at every meal. “God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for the food. By His hands we are fed. Give us this day our daily bread. Amen!” If I ever varied from that format, I don’t remember it. Though it was ritualistic, practiced and rehearsed, I was learning something that one day I would come to realize.. God Is Great!
I walked out the front door of the house Tuesday morning and beheld a sight that immediately shouted in my mind that God is truly GREAT!. Now get this picture. It is 5:00AM. There is dead silence. The only thing to be heard was the storm door slowly easing to it’s closed position. There is a slight dripping of water off of the roof as it slowly forms into icicles. I looked to the North toward the Sartor’s house and witnessed the greatness of God. Up on the hill near their house stands a stately security light beaming it’s glory through the enveloping darkness of the night. As it stood beaming into the night, the ice that was clinging so tightly to the trees picked up its rays and dispersed them into the darkness. What a magnificent sight. I stood there, almost as if my tongue were hanging out beholding the intensity of it all. I stood there until I began to shiver, slowly remembering why I was out there in the first place. Actually I had been on my way to the shop to tinker a few minutes before I had to go to work. The weather was fascinating. The freeze line was just below us a few miles. That means that most of you missed it. Some are excited about missing the freeze, some are sad.
When I finally started South to come to work, there was an instant difference. By this time the sun was up and the whole countryside was shouting of God’s greatness. About seven or eight miles from home, there was no more ice. All of a sudden the sights that had kept me so spellbound were no longer there. Now I know that God was still in all of what was seen, but right now I’m talking about ice. OK?
I noticed that something happened to me. Since 5:00AM I had been held captive in my thoughts about the greatness of God. The ice had been the minister teaching me of His power. Now, all of a sudden it was gone. I was no longer captivated. My eyes wandered to other things. My mind switched down another track. About fifteen miles from home I realized what had happened. I was no longer seeing God in His greatness. My whole countenance was different.
The ice is no longer on the trees. Soon the water that formed it will evaporate and be gone. But, God is still great. He is no different than He has ever been. I just need to watch other things to see Him there.
Occasionally when we are displayed before others and something stands out in our lives, people can easily see God in our lives. They can be drawn to His greatness and power. They can come to know that He will work in a powerful way in their lives.
There is never likely to be an ice storm in our area everyday. But, know this and never forget it, God is ALIVE and WORKING in every person in this church. God is Great… and we are not. He can work through our weakness and show His strength. Here’s the best part. When we let God work through our lives and claim no strength of our own, it may just be that the world will walk out their front door and marvel at His majesty.