Terrible

From Psalm 99 (The Message)

"...Great and terrible your beauty:

let everyone praise you!
Holy. Yes, holy.

^4-5 Strong King, lover of justice,
You laid things out fair and square;

You set down the foundations in Jacob,
Foundation stones of just and right ways.

Honor God, our God; worship his rule!

Holy. Yes, holy."

I wonder if you've ever witnessed the "great and terrible" beauty of God?

You have, no doubt. The question is whether any of us acknowledge what we're witnessing in that moment, or somehow dismiss it and walk away unchanged.

I can think of a few of those "great and terrible" God-revealing moments:

The birth of my children, and the times as a pastor that I have been privileged to be present with families during the passing of their loved ones

The first time I saw the ocean as a child (and every time I get back there)

When I've stood in the vast wilderness of the Cherokee National Forest, and anytime I'm in the mountains for that matter

Seeing the expansive stars from the pitch-black Honduran countryside.

Watching the sunrise from 30,000 ft.

Standing inside the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem.

Sitting at the edge of the Sea of Galilee.

What about you? What moments have been both "great and terrible" in their revelation of God for you?

Great, in that they reveal the awesome power and grandeur of God...

Terrible, in that they reveal exactly how tiny and powerless we are as human individuals. Terrifying, in the Biblical sense, because they make us acutely aware that we are not God. That we could stand in God's judgment, but are saved purely by God's love.

They are the moments that leave you stunned and mumbling..."Holy, yes, holy."

They are the moments when God has to say, "don't be afraid."

But we are. We slowly return to business as usual. The worst thing is, sometimes we try not to look again.

Let's dare to have some Psalm 99 moments today.

Where do you see the great and terrible, awe-inspiring presence of God?

Grace & Peace,

Adam