He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth — the Lord God Almighty is his name.
Amos 4: 13 (NIV)
Scripture: Psalm 8: 3-9
God created a wonderful world in which we live. The majesty of the mountains, the power of the wind, the beauty of the sunsets help show us God Himself. This devotion praises God for the way He reveals Himself in the world.
Look out your window. As I wrote this, I saw a mountain, one of the few mountains I’d seen in my life up to that point. Coming from an area that is basically flat as a board, with only a little roll, I was fascinated by the mountain. It was beautiful how it rose up to tower over us. I’m sure I was miles from it, yet was still clearly visible.
God should be like that. He is physically miles from us in heaven, yet we should feel His presence. No matter the distance, we should see Him as well. It isn’t Him that becomes clouded; it is our vision.
God is looking down at us like the mountain. He is steadfast like the mountain. He cannot be moved.
Sometimes don’t you think the wind is like the personality of God? Sometimes the wind blows gently along showing us God is always present – when things are going right and when things are not going right.
Then the wind picks up a little as we are tempted; and He speaks to us, encouraging us. Occasionally, the wind becomes tornado force. Everything gets all shook up in our lives. That can be scary. It can either be God showing His displeasure, or just Him shaping our character. Either way, God is in control.
Have you ever contemplated why God reserves the most vivid colors for sunset and not sunrise? Don’t get me wrong. Dawn is beautiful as the day slowly wakes up. It is as if the curtain is slowly drawn back to reveal the light that has always been there.
But the reds, pinks, oranges and purples come out when the darkness approaches. They paint the sky in dramatic colors. And these exchanges go on day after day.
Evenings are when it is easy to give into temptation. It is when you feel more alone and more depressed. Do you think maybe God gives us the spectacular beauty of the sunset to remind us of His presence and lead us into the night? God is always there with us, also, “an ever-present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1 NIV).
Isn’t that like God? Our lives are overcast and full of showers, maybe even the thunderstorm, tornado or hurricane variety. God is above our troubles. God is our ray of hope and our cushion to fall back on.
The Lord God Almighty is His name. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Great I Am. Loving, guiding, caring and merciful are the adjectives. He is simply Father. Better yet, He is Daddy.
Father. The earth is Your masterpiece. The mountains, the wind, the dawn, the sunset, the clouds, the sunshine – everywhere we look we are reminded of your majesty. They remind us of Your presence. Lord, unfortunately there are times we need to be reminded of Your presence. We forget You are there with us because we take our focus off You. But You are always there, Father – when the wind barely blows and when it blows fiercely. Thank You. You are the one true constant in our lives. Amen.
What do you think? What is our biggest challenge in putting our trust in God? What are some ways we can forget the destination and concentrate on today’s miles? Leave me a comment below or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
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