Don't you just love sunsets? The sky starts to get just slightly golden. Then the gold turns to a hint of orange. As the sun starts to set behind the mountains, the little crevice where the sun is still peeking out has turned itself a glorious orange. The sky turns pink, all the while maintaining the background colors of gold and bright blue, yet while showing that little bit of orange behind the mountains. When the sun finally is completely out of sight, the orange crevice has turned to crimson, and the area surrounding it is orange. Beyond that is the pink, and then the gold, followed by the now muted blue. The mountains are looking more and more of a navy color, but that little hint of purple on top of the snow that caps the peaks indicates that the sky plays tricks on the eyes. Finally, these colors start to disappear, and what's left is gold just behind the mountains, mixed with the dark clouds worthy of a painting. Above this is a lit blue, and the sky grows darker and darker until the blue sky more closely resembles charcoal or dark wash jeans. One by one, the stars make their debut, and the moon shines brightly amidst the darkness. A few clouds surround it, but none cover it. Rather, they are illuminated by the moonlight, creating a pleasant glow around their edges.
Seeing all these beautiful colors gets me wondering: if there is a God who *created* all this beauty and wonder, what is he like? Surely the Bible only begins to express his glory. Sometimes I just stop and imagine myself at the depths of the sea, immersed in all the wonder there. Then, traveling upward, I begin to see different creatures and plants. Reaching the surface, I am awestruck by the seeming endlessness of the ocean. Swimming toward land, I find myself eventually on the shores of a sandy beach with palm trees all around. Basking in the sunshine a while, I continue to go through a rainforest. As I come out of this, I walk for a while on the plains, and then turn toward a desert. After enjoying the mysteries there for a while, I head in the direction of civilization. A bit in that path, I find a forest with all sorts of trees in it. I enjoy that and am overwhelmed at the peacefulness therein. When I come out of the forest, I am in a barren land where the sun is hot and the earth is clay. Climbing up in this landscape, I discover I am in the mountains, where a waterfall is trickling over a cliff into a great rushing river. Up here, the air is clean and the atmosphere is calming. Still, it is getting cold and snow is beginning to fall, so I start heading down the other side. As I go down, the thinness of the the air begins to disappear, the snow is less in quantity, and the foothills start coming into view below me. They are green! Quickly, I run down to take in this glory.
Glancing up, I am struck at the majesty of the mountain I just came down. Then, looking below me, I see a valley with flowers and streams and all sorts of other little wonders. Going down there, I am overcome with a sensation of joy. After a little dance with no one in particular, I continue on my journey. I see all sorts of things as I head North...cliffs, waterfalls, groves, industrial sites, forests...the list goes on and on. Finally, though, I stop on an icy shore. Before me, the water is cold. That is, what water has not been frozen. I am somewhere in the Arctic Circle.
Looking around me, I see everything cold. It's starting to get to me, though it is glorious and wonderful in its own unique way. I glance up. This glance, however, turns into much more. I gaze at the wonder above me. The sun is beginning to set, and as the colors fade, the stars are coming out. The moon is full, and it shines very brightly. As I look at this beauty, I realize how I have never seen such a sight before in the sky. The sky is beginning to dance! Stars fall here and there, planets twinkle far away, galaxies appear little by little, and colorful lights are filling the sky. How incredible! By some supernatural power, I am taken up into space. There I see the earth from afar. Then I see our Solar System. Then the Milky Way begins to appear as a whole. Moving out, the cluster of galaxies to which the Milky Way belongs starts to show itself. Then, all the galaxies and nebulae in the universe appear. Finally, I am looking at the universe, and suddenly, at the hand of God holding it all.
Doesn't that strike you with awe? The God who created all of this is amazing! And yet he loves every one of us with an extreme, passionate, overwhelming love. That he would send his Son to die for us, WE! who are fallen people, sinners, is a remarkable, inconceivable gift. That Christ would willingly die for something he did not do, in order to pay for every mistake we've ever made, tells us that we are severely loved. To deny such love is simply to not understand it. God is amazing, beautiful, compassionate, loving, creative...This God is my God, and he's worth serving!
Struck by God's grace,
Meridian
Agreed. :) He IS worth serving!
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