| | Don't look directly at the sun - it'll make you blind! Did you ever hear that as a little kid and wonder if it was really true? Did you cock your head to one side, squint, and try barely opening your eyes to look at the sun anyway?
It's one of those no-brainer tips in the category with "don't stick your tongue to a frozen pole", "don't put peas up your nose" and "don't jump into the crocodile pen at the zoo."
Sometimes when we're not thinking about the sun, or it's overcast, or we're busy and not getting to spend much time outdoors we forget how brilliant and bright it really is. We forget the power behind that mammoth ball of gas and fire, so many light years away yet sustaining all of life on this little dustball of a planet.
I think we forget how amazing and powerful God is all the time. We get caught up in our lives, our problems, ourselves and start thinking that God must be like the best version of us. How crazy and small-minded we are sometimes! That would be like trying to physically grab and use the sun to light a little birthday candle on your cake.
As I was writing an email this morning to send to my immediate family sharing a verse that touched me this morning, something amazing happened and I know it was God at work. You know how when you begin typing email addresses in outlook once you type a few letters it "remembers" that person and shows you the address? Then you just hit enter and it puts the rest of the address in for you. Well I was zipping through the emails for my family, hit a few letters, enter, hit a few, enter, until they were all there. Then "click" - I sent the email. In a moment I got an email from a dear friend of mine thanking me for the note and scripture and saying that it touched her, that she needed to hear that today. I was a little confused. Did I send that email to her?? I looked back at my sent list and sure enough, there was her name. I then realized that the first two letters of her email address are the same as the first two letters of my grandmother's.
I think God wanted her to read that scripture today and be encouraged. My friend has been going through a tough time and has a lot of uncertainty facing her right now. As I responded to her I was overcome with emotion thinking how much God must love her to work through that little goof on my part. WOW. He is at work on her behalf and would do that just to encourage her!
Job was troubled after enduring horrible hardship after hardship. Three well-meaning friends couldn't seem to help him through and after a while even Job started complaining and saying how God was against him, he shouldn't have even been born, blah blah. Well, a younger man, Elihu, steps up to the plate and says that he's been itching to speak his mind but was waiting out of respect. He finally can't take it any more and reminds Job, with beautiful descriptions and heartfelt praise, who God really is. This verse is the end of Elihu's reminder to Job and the one I shared with my family (and surprise friend) this morning:
"We cannot look at the sun,
for it shines brightly in the sky
when the wind clears away the clouds.
22 So also, golden splendor comes from the mountain of God.
He is clothed in dazzling splendor.
23 We cannot imagine the power of the Almighty;
but even though he is just and righteous,
he does not destroy us.
24 No wonder people everywhere fear him.
All who are wise show him reverence.” Job 37:21-24
Next time you go to church, focus your mind on God and ask Him to show you who He really is so you can truly respond in awe-filled worship. As you pray, seek His will and bring requests before Him, ask Him to remind you how powerful and able He is, how good He is, how trustworthy. As you remember these things, tell Him how much you love and praise Him! Take your place, along with me, as a tiny, humble, finite human bowing before an immeasurable, glorious, holy and infinite God.
He won't fit in that little box you've got there
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| | Posted 2/25/2009 7:59 AM - 22 Views - 2 eProps - 0 comments
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