Our God is big. And He carries a big brush to paint boldly on His Universal canvas.
Mt. Rainier in the state of Washington is one of His ostentatious masterpieces. Stately. Grand. Oft-hidden but glorious when revealed. To see it glow in sunset light is awe inspiring. A myriad of whites, purples, pinks, blues and grays is not easily forgotten.
Pigeon River State Forest in Michigan has no lofty peaks. National Geographic rarely visits. But God reserves his audacious handiwork for the night hours. Fast asleep in my backpacking tent, I awoke to the amazed voices of my fellow hikers. The night sky was ablaze with stars. Millions of stars lit the black wilderness like a shopping mall parking lot.
The Andaman Sea off Phuket, Thailand, is a jewel. Clear. Clean. Warm. And as far from my land-locked home as one can get on this planet. I eased off the swim deck of our dive boat into a foreign world. Fish. Coral. Colors. I was definitely not in Arkansas any more. My pulse quickened as I followed a poisonous sea snack along the ocean bottom. I sensed it’s bold coloration hid a sinister intent. I remained in awe — at a distance!
The intense night darkness of the Peruvian Amazon River Basin was pierced by light from another universe. I stood with city-slickers from a large American city. “What is that,” one said pointing into the light-splashed sky. Blazing across the sky in ostentatious grandeur was the Milky Way. “I’ve heard about that,” another said, “but I’ve never seen it. Too much light where we live.” Even I was awe-struck as God’s power strutted the night sky.
The psalmist David declares, “Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The voice of the Lord is over the waters; The God of glory thunders; The Lord is over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful, The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars, Yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon . . . The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness.” Psalm 29:2-8
The Bible is full of God’s power. Strong and mighty. Like rushing wind. Awe-inspiring. Saving. Convicting.
But the God of awe-inspiring grandeur has a rich and varied pallet when He expresses Himself.
Emmaline Kate quietly (well, except for that healthy squall) debuted this week. My first grandchild. No bright lights. No technicolor sunsets. No, “this is my son,” boomed from Heaven. Just proud parents. Ecstatic grandparents. Excited aunts and uncles. And family and friends eagerly waiting to meet her.
Ten fingers. Ten toes. Healthy lungs. Bright eyes. Healthy appetite. Face of an angel.
“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.” Psalm 139:13-14
In my heart this week, God’s powerful displays of might were overwhelmed by His gentle display of Creation power in little Emmaline.
Elijah experienced his own paradigm shift as he hid in a cave to escape those wishing to harm him. (Check out 1 Kings 19.) He was having a bit of a pity party. “I alone am left; and they seek to take my life,” (vs. 10) he told the Lord. So God looked at His pallet of colors and made an interesting selection as Elijah stood before Him on the mountain.
“And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.” (vss. 11-12)
Sometimes God’s greatest displays of power are when He speaks in a still small voice. In the miracle of a baby. Through the muted colors of a sunset. In the beauty of music at church. The gentle prompting of the Holy Spirit. The smile of a friend when you hurt. The whispers of God.
His plea is that we “be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)