Our Great God
"He alone does great wonders. His faithful love endures forever." Psalm 136:4
Have you been rushing throughout your day? Do you feel tired, overwhelmed, or anxious? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions. I want you to pause.
Take a deep breath. Exhale.
Now, reflect on this question: When was the last time you reflected on the greatness of God?
If you are anything like me, it is not necessarily something you do every day. I mean, I do make it a habit of praising God daily for who He is, but I don't always take time to meditate on His greatness. The truth is, I spend a lot of time rushing through my days. I run from one thing to the next, packing my days as full as possible, until I finally collapse into bed, completely and utterly wrung out from my day.
But every once and a while, especially after a hard day or week, I make space to sit back and simply reflect on God's immense power in contrast with my weakness. And when I do this, my perspective is corrected, and I can work in the power of the One who can create order from chaos.
The first time I truly reflected on this was in the eighth grade during a hiking trip with some family and friends. I was hiking part of the Pacific Crest Trail, and honestly, the first part of the trip was awful. It was cold, rainy, and, due to an unusual amount of moisture, mosquitos attacked constantly. Add to that, the people I was with didn't believe in using tents. So I slept each rainy, cold, and mosquito-filled night completely exposed to the elements.
However, on one of the last nights of our trip, the skies cleared, and the buzzing mosquitos kept me awake long enough to see the milky way roll across the sky. I, to this day, have never seen so many stars. And even though I was only in the eighth grade, I remember reflecting on the greatness of God. God created the stars. The stars represent God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12. And, because of Jesus, I know that God was faithful to fulfill His promise. In short, I was awestruck by how great God is. And in a way, His greatness was magnified by my difficulties on the hiking trip. I was so aware of my weakness that I KNEW I needed something more powerful than myself. I needed the God who created the stars.
These days, reflecting on God's greatness doesn't happen while laying under the stars; rather, it occurs in the mundaneness of life. Sometimes, after a long day of laundry, parenting, work, cooking, resolving conflict, and cleaning, I take time to sit on my couch, experience the stillness around me, and contemplate the faithfulness of God. And, like my hard days on the hiking trail, I am aware of my need for Him. My days are often filled with lost tempters, frustrations, and the general chaos of life. Yet, in the still quietness, I see God's hand on my life. The God who ordered the chaos of the universe orders my day as well. He has given me a home, food to eat, a wonderful job, and a family I love. As I meditate on these truths, my soul fills with songs of praise for our God. As my soul sings, this small bit of time in my tiny apartment transforms into a swirling mountaintop moment. God is great.
Now that I have shared a couple of my reflections with you, let me ask again: When was the last time you reflected on the greatness of God?
Perhaps you reflected on God's greatness after miraculously healing from an illness or when you stood on a hillside admiring the view. Or, maybe you praised God for His greatness as you held your baby for the first time or sat under the night stars? Or like me, maybe it was after you made it through one more ordinary day and were able to simply reflect on all of God's common and special graces in your life.
If you haven't had time to praise God for His greatness in a while. I encourage you to do it now.
Pause for 30 seconds. Think of how God is working in your life. Look at the tree outside your window or the toddler next to you. And praise Him for His power to create it all. I'll wait.
Now that you have reflected on God's greatness, don't simply switch over to Instagram, dive back into your next work project, or run out the door to grab your kids from school. Instead, go mindfully into the rest of your day or evening with an awareness of God's greatness. He is "I am," which means that He has already gone before you. His greatness will cover your weakness. How great is our God.
