"How beautiful it is to be alive!
To wake each morn as if the Maker's grace
Did us afresh from nothingness derive."
~ Henry Septimus Sutton
I think of You, Abba, in creation. I see You in all Your beauty and splendour atop a cliff on the coast of Ireland. Only instead of the wind blowing in Your ancient mane, the mighty wind blows out of Your nostrils. The sun rising on the horizon is a reflection of Your own pure golden light that shines from Your eyes. I think of all the beautiful places in this world where You have left Your finger prints. In the delicacy of sweet blushing rose petals or in the raging torrents of the Niagara waterfalls, in the arid desert and the beds of sand, to the fierce cold peak of Everest. Your incredible beauty and craftsmanship are everywhere, be it in the eyes of a cooing newborn babe or in the eye of a tiger, the alignment of the planets in the Milky Way or in the science of human DNA. In the fragility and impermanence of existence, in the ferocity of gales and volcanic eruptions, in the faithfulness of the rotating seasons or in the mystery of the Northern lights, in the territorial dominance of a lion and in the loving cuddles of a newborn kitten, You, Lord, are everywhere!
David knew what he saw saying in Psalm 139, "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?" There is not only no location where we can be out of Your sight, but there is no atom or molecule, no vibration of sound, nor a fragment of light that does not reflect You, God. If I were a grain of sand, which I am in the great scheme of things, EVEN THEN, I would not escape Your notice! For that I give You thanks and praise!
"When I walk by the wayside, He is along with me....
Amid all my forgetfulness of Him, He never forgets me."
~ Thomas Chalmers
With every new blessing comes temptation for idolatry, greed and coveteousness. Please forgive me for these sins and my lust that has accompanied them. Forgive me for my nature's desire to supercede You. This is Your world, Your plan and I am an instrument of Your creation. I ask for the forgiveness of my pride and I seek to be welcomed close to the bosom of my Abba and in the comfort of the Potter's hands.
"God came to us because God wanted to join us on the road,
to listen to our story, and to help us realize
that we are not walking in circles,
but moving toward the house of peace and joy."
~ J. M. Nouwen
I, like most people, have a unique perception of this world. I have a heart that cares for people and causes and my soul wants to have significance. This can leave me restless and impatient on God's timing. Will I ever count? Will I ever do anything of meaning? What is God going to do with my life? You, my Father, are right to remind me that I was chosen by the God of the universe before birth. You, the author of life, have already plotted the story of my existence. Your perfect son died the death that would have otherwise been mine. All I have to do is obey You and tell others this truth. Where was I during the formation of this earth? When God became flesh and was born of a virgin? When sin and death were conquered? When our Saviour rose from the dead? I was only thought of in Your mind, God. Why do I have the boldness to want to "be somebody'"? Is it not enough that one day I am going to see the greatest battle between good and evil that the universe will ever know?!
Despite what is seemingly boldness, You welcome me into Your throne room. You welcome my questions and beseeching of Your blessings. I have imagined a child of my own someday sitting on my lap telling me of their dreams and what they "want to be" when they grow up. In the same way, Abba, You let me draw near to You. I know that You would regale in my hopes and dreams, for You put the desires in my heart at the very beginning. Lord, may I come to You, not as on "who speaks words without knowledge," but as a woman, as Your child, who wishes to share the treasures of my heart with my father.
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