Perspective from 14,110 feet

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to visit with the Eastside Church of Christ in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This is the congregation Patrick will be moving to next month. They had asked me to come out and preach on Sunday morning as well as teach their teen class, since their youth minister was out of town. It is always an encouragement to meet other followers of Jesus.

Two of my favorite parts of the week were our visit the Garden of the Gods and our trip up to Pikes Peak. There is nothing quite like having an opportunity to witness the majesty of God’s creation. There is something amazing about standing in front of a rock formation several hundred feet tall or on top of a mountain whose peak stands 14,100 feet above sea level.

I want to share with you a portion of Psalm 65 (verses 5-8), a psalm write by David:

You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,
God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas,
who formed the mountains by your power,
having armed yourself with strength,
who stilled the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations.
The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
where morning dawns, where evening fades,
you call forth songs of joy.



As I think about God forming the mountains, I think about the amount of power to create something that majestic. When I was younger, I used to love to play in the sand and create small “mountains.” Typically, these mountains would stand less than a foot tall and would fall apart pretty easily.

Our God created mountain upon mountain. He formed the mountain I stood on that is over two and half miles high. He created all of the mountains I saw as I looked out from the summit of Pikes Peak.

This same God created you and me. The Creator who formed every mountain by his power also made you and me. The same David who wrote Psalm 65 wrote the following words in Psalm 139:13-14:

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

I stand in awe of God because he formed the incredible mountain I stood on last weekend. But I also stand in awe of God because God created each one of us. You and I are fearfully and wonderfully made. The same power that created majestic mountains created us. We are not only created by God; we are God’s most prized creation. We were created in the image of God and God was willing to sacrifice all he had to redeem us. That is more incredible that any mountain. Let these words from Psalm 36:5-6 resonate in your heart and mind…

Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
your justice like the great deep.

 

shine!
Jason