December 18th, 2020
Text: Isaiah 40:26
Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing. (NRSV)
God chooses to reveal God’s self to us in various ways. One way is through what is called “special” revelation. Special revelation is a very specific way in which God reveals God’s self. The angel revealing to Mary that God has chosen her to be the mother of God’s own Son is certainly an example of special revelation. The Holy Bible and its inspired writings are another form of special revelation from which we can all benefit through our reading.
A second form of God’s revelation is called “general” revelation. General revelation can be described as anything that can point to the existence of God through an abstract connection. When Isaiah asks his hearers to lift up their eyes on high and see and then asks them the question, “Who created these?”, Isaiah is challenging those who are listening to connect the miracle of the vast array of stars in the visible universe with the fact that this is no accident but an intentional design of the creator God—their God.
There was a song that Linda and I use to sing when we were teenagers that starts off with the line; “In the stars His handiwork I see, on the wind He speaks with majesty…” This song is voicing the same concept of general revelation as Isaiah. But how many times do we miss seeing God because we have lost the sense of wonder that God’s creation was designed to instill in us?
Have you lost the wonder of creation? Do you look up on a clear starry night and not feel the awe of the Creator God that it was designed to impress upon you. Is you mind so filled with the busyness of your day to day obligations that you can see and hear the power of the waves crashing against the shore, and not even think about the God who created the complexity of the world in which we live that makes life possible?
Lift up your eyes on high and see with your mind the God who loves so much that he created the complexity of a life sustaining planet and then placed you on it. Listen to the voice of God through the wind that whispers his name through the centuries. Recognize the power of God in the waves that crash along the coastline. And then, in awe and wonder, remember that this same God loves you so much that he has placed you in the midst of this wonderous creation and has called you by name.
Pray with me:
God of creation, refill me with the wonder I used to feel when I first saw the multitude of stars in the heavens on a clear night. God of power, refill me with the awe I used to feel when I first witnessed the power of the waves crashing against the shore. God of love, let your creation speak to me of the love you have displayed in your creation. AMEN.
Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing. (NRSV)
God chooses to reveal God’s self to us in various ways. One way is through what is called “special” revelation. Special revelation is a very specific way in which God reveals God’s self. The angel revealing to Mary that God has chosen her to be the mother of God’s own Son is certainly an example of special revelation. The Holy Bible and its inspired writings are another form of special revelation from which we can all benefit through our reading.
A second form of God’s revelation is called “general” revelation. General revelation can be described as anything that can point to the existence of God through an abstract connection. When Isaiah asks his hearers to lift up their eyes on high and see and then asks them the question, “Who created these?”, Isaiah is challenging those who are listening to connect the miracle of the vast array of stars in the visible universe with the fact that this is no accident but an intentional design of the creator God—their God.
There was a song that Linda and I use to sing when we were teenagers that starts off with the line; “In the stars His handiwork I see, on the wind He speaks with majesty…” This song is voicing the same concept of general revelation as Isaiah. But how many times do we miss seeing God because we have lost the sense of wonder that God’s creation was designed to instill in us?
Have you lost the wonder of creation? Do you look up on a clear starry night and not feel the awe of the Creator God that it was designed to impress upon you. Is you mind so filled with the busyness of your day to day obligations that you can see and hear the power of the waves crashing against the shore, and not even think about the God who created the complexity of the world in which we live that makes life possible?
Lift up your eyes on high and see with your mind the God who loves so much that he created the complexity of a life sustaining planet and then placed you on it. Listen to the voice of God through the wind that whispers his name through the centuries. Recognize the power of God in the waves that crash along the coastline. And then, in awe and wonder, remember that this same God loves you so much that he has placed you in the midst of this wonderous creation and has called you by name.
Pray with me:
God of creation, refill me with the wonder I used to feel when I first saw the multitude of stars in the heavens on a clear night. God of power, refill me with the awe I used to feel when I first witnessed the power of the waves crashing against the shore. God of love, let your creation speak to me of the love you have displayed in your creation. AMEN.
No Comments