What Have You Seen?

The Word is first...

"Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”" (Luke 5:26, NIV)

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984

When confronted with the reality of God, a typical first response is one of fear. We know that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and that all must pass through this state at one time or another. For the believer, this fear is felt while still alive; for the unbeliever, this fear shall be made real at the seat of judgment. I shall not mention the unbeliever again for nothing below pertains to them as their fate is sealed.

As for the believer however, fear is a rational response to the knowledge and understanding of our innate sinfulness. Were this the entire equation it would not be so much fear as it would be disgust. But when you combine the knowledge of our own filthiness with the understanding of God's holiness, what began as disgust moves rapidly to despair. And it is out of this despair as we stand between the high-high wall of God's holiness and the deep-deep pit of our sinfulness that we know fear. This fear is borne of the realization that if we stay where we are at, we will inevitably slip down into the pit that leads to Hell. Yet to aspire to scale the wall of God's holiness is to try to come into the very presence of God, the thought of which is overwhelming except for the knowledge that He loves me and is waiting for me.

And in that thought my fear resolves into gratitude. For God has not abandoned me to my own devices. Around the pit of sinfulness He has erected fences and barricades. He has in fact, reached out to me as I struggled within the pit to physically pull me out of that darkness. That gratitude that I feel for the one who has saved me washes over my fear and provides a layer of isolation upon that fear. The fear that once riveted me in place now forms the underpinning of a developing relationship with God. That fear is always there just below the surface but it is "white-washed" by the blood of Christ which brings forth such gratitude so as to drown out the chattering of my teeth as I tremble in fear.

The gratitude that I feel is that of the drowning man for the lifeguard. How can I every say "thank you" enough? How many cards would I have to send to fully express the scope of this emotion? Is there anything I could every do that would be sufficient to convey my love? Indeed, there is. I need only to live my life in such a way as to be worthy of His sacrifice. This is the calling upon my waking life.

As I grapple with that realization I am filled with reverent awe. God, who spoke everything into existence speaks to me. God, who formed stars and planets, placing them into the most complex orbits, flinging them to the farthest reaches of space and time, meets with me each morning. The very hands that formed Adam from the clay and Eve from Adam's rib hold me in their loving embrace. From galaxies to ants and for everything in between, God is involved and aware and busy. Yet He loves me. He has time enough for me. He has forgiven me and He helps me and He waits for me with eager anticipation. How can this be? It is and it is this that fills me to overflowing with awe and wonder.

For the Pharisees, the religious leaders, "some men" and a paralytic; they were in the very presence of Immanuel. While there with him, they witnessed healings of both physical and spiritual afflictions. Scripture tells us that "everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said 'We have seen remarkable things today.'"

Like the people in this story, I have seen (and pray that you too have seen) remarkable things in your life. Things that can only be attributed to God. Things that fill you with wonder and awe and which overflow out of your life in the form of praise. If you don't already have a list of such things on the tip of your tongue, I challenge to set pen to paper and make a list, count your blessings so to speak. I am certain that you will find plenty of remarkable things to which you can attest. As for me, I need only look at who I was and who I now am to be able to say "I have seen remarkable things today."

Shalom,
Carl