Trying to put God in perspective
by Pastor Steve Liersch
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Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength (Psalm 29:1).
Australia is approximately 3860 kilometres long from its most northerly point to its most southerly point in Tasmania and is almost 4000 kilometres wide, from east to west. The Lambert Centre of Australia is approximately 200 kilometres south of Alice Springs and off the main highway. I haven’t been there yet, but I did try to imagine what it would be like to direct Australia’s weather each day from such a central vantage point. I gave up because of the vast size of our great nation. I can barely see 30 kilometres off our local beach and certainly not beyond the hills that surround Perth.
I then checked out the NASA site and some images of Australia taken from the International Space Station. There are awesome pictures of all parts of our continent from a rare vantage point thousands of kilometres into space. Satellite pictures from the Bureau of Meteorology also reveal similar beauty in nature that we can’t see from our personal space here on earth.
Our Creator God is in control of all that space and infinitely more. With all its complexities, our planet is but one of billions throughout the universe that God not only created but oversees.
King David wrote Psalm 29 as one of his attempts to put into words what really is impossible to define. The power and majesty of God, his glory and strength revealed in nature as examples of who he is and what he can do. David speaks of the voice of the Lord being powerful and majestic, striking with flashes of lightning (verse 7) and able to shake the desert (verse 8), twisting trees and stripping forests bare (verse 9).
Quite rightly, our psalmist speaks of the Lord being enthroned as king forever. We humans will come and go. Our time here on earth is measured in decades, normally, not centuries or millennium. God is eternal. He has no beginning and no end. And yet God desires to get personal with each one of us – with you! ‘The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace’ (verse 11).
As tiny as we are in the big scheme of our landmass in Australia, and as infinitesimal as we are in the universe, God still knows you by name. Through baptism, he even makes us his children. Through Jesus, his Son, God forgives us for our sins. He even gives of himself in the bread and wine of Holy Communion. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, he creates faith in us that will carry us through this life and into his holy presence eternally in heaven.
Try putting all that into perspective. How great is our God!
Take a walk and ponder the beauty of God’s creation and the enormity of his love for you.
God of Wonder and Might, help me cry ‘glory’ to your name forever. Place in my heart a song of praise each day. Let me sing of the joy of my salvation found in your Son Jesus. Help me honour you with all that I have today and always as your Holy Spirit leads me. Amen.
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