Tag Archives: Jesus

Majesty up Close

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“Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with splendor and majesty”
(Psalm 104:1)

 As a kid, I never saw a lot of Bald Eagles, except in picture books or on TV, or maybe at the zoo.  The Majestic Bald Eagles the captions would always read; our national symbol, regal and dignified, representing the aspirations of a nation, soaring on the wings of eagles…

You can imagine, then, the sheer excitement and wonder that overwhelmed me a couple of years ago when I actually saw my first Bald Eagle in the wild, right here over Cherokee.  There was a little terror in the event, it swooped right in front of my car, but it was thrilling nonetheless.  This year, especially, I’ve seen several in the area, and it is really a wonderful sight.

Until you get up close.  From a distance these are majestic and awesome creatures, but up close we see what they really are – big, dirty, birds.  Eagles primarily eat fish, but since the rivers and lakes here are pretty well frozen over, the eagles turn to other sources – small animals (even pets), and carrion, what they find dead or steal from other predators.  Then I saw a video (link here) of one town in Alaska where the Bald Eagles have actually become quite a pest.  The more I see, the less majestic they get.  If you want to keep that young, innocent, aura surrounding our national symbol, it’s better to keep them at a distance.

This got me to thinking about our use of the word “Majesty.”  What do we mean when we say that?  Look it up in the dictionary, and majesty refers to the splendor, dignity, and authority of a person or object.  “For purple mountains majesty…” we sing, and truly the mountains are awesomely large and very impressive.

Throughout the Scriptures and in our worship we declare that God is Majestic, that God is clothed with splendor and majesty.  Listen to some of the Psalm as they describe the majesty of God:

Psalm 29:4 “The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.”

Psalm 93:1–2 “The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.  Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.”

God is truly majestic, and all His works display the splendor of His majesty:

Psalm 111:3 “Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.”

The beauty of God’s majesty, however – that which separates the majesty of God from any other thing we might call majestic – is that God’s majesty doesn’t alter even when you are up close and personal.  Unlike the Eagles, who are better at a distance, when God reveals himself to you personally, in the life, love, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, His majesty is magnified in our eyes.

In 1 Peter1:16-18, Peter describes how the majesty of God was revealed in the person of Jesus, especially remembering the Transfiguration, where the majesty of God was fully revealed in Christ, and the voice from heaven declared, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.  Listen to him.”  Jesus lived for the glory of God by giving his life in love for fallen man.  Nothing could reveal the heart of God more clearly, nothing could demonstrate God’s wisdom and power more simply, nothing could express God’s love more personally.

When you come to the Father through Jesus His Son, you come face to face with His majesty.  The closer you get to God, the more beautiful He becomes, the more glorious his grace, the more majestic his splendor.

Were the world a scroll and my life a pen it would be impossible to fully describe the beauty of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ, impossible to exhaust the riches of God’s mercy in the cross of Christ, impossible to say too much about the Majesty of God.

May my every thought, word, and deed, may every sermon and every song, may every prayer and post, may my life be lived to ascribe to God the majesty due His name!

The Greatness of God’s Love

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“When I look at the heavens, the work of your fingers…
what is man that you are mindful of him. ” (Psalm 8:3-4 (ESV))

The question was asked last night at confirmation class, “If you wanted to convince someone of the greatness of God in creation, where would you take them, what would you say?” There were many good responses. One student brought a small Christmas tree to represent real trees. Her response was, “God makes the trees grow just like God gives us growth.” A great answer. Other students talked about going out in nature to watch the sunset (I notice none of them said sunrise), holding a newborn baby – all of these were excellent examples of the greatness and wonder of God in creation.

Psalm 8, I believe, is the psalmist answer to the question, “how would you convince someone of the greatness of God in creation.” Like my student’s answers, the Psalmist looks to the heavens – the stars in their glory and splendor – and hears the cry of newborn children, and turns to praise the greatness of God.

I am sure you have shared the experience. The vista on a high mountain pass; the roar of the ocean tide crashing against the shore; star gazing in an open field far away from city lights. One has to intentionally remind themselves of their disbelief, blinding themselves to the wonder of it all, to not be overwhelmed by the majesty and greatness of God in His creation.

But there is an even more convincing argument. The majesty of God is clearly evident in His creation, but it is not fully revealed in His creation. There’s more. There is a greater revelation. There is a deeper truth which will radically change your life – if only you will listen.

The Psalmist, looking at the heavens, suddenly turns to himself, “what is man that you are mindful of him?” Have you thought about that one? Consider the heavens – out there, deep in space, millions of miles away, stars are rotating around other stars; each formed and spun into motion and held together by the hand of God. Consider our own planet – orbiting at just the right distance from the sun for life to flourish, with its seasons bringing sun and rain, intricate complexities revealed in the beauty of simplicity – this is the work of God. God creates at the atomic level a work that requires the entire universe as His canvas, and still God above all things is chiefly mindful of man, of you, of me!

This is what really drives home the greatness of God. When you consider how small and insignificant we are in comparison with all of creation, God has proven over and again His love for us. In love God created us, that we might love and worship Him, finding our satisfaction in the praise and glory of God’s goodness. In love he has set us apart from creation, forming us in His image, crowning us with dominion, wisdom, and righteousness. In steadfast love God treated us with mercy and long-suffering when we sinned and rebelled against Him, thinking His love and His goodness something we could do without. In love He sent His Son, Christ Jesus our Lord, to redeem us from sin and death, that we might once again live and move in His love and worship and adore His name.

More than any other act in creation, this love which seeks out the lost and terminal sinner should convince us of the greatness of God. It is humbling; it is healing; it is encouraging; it is inspiring; it is life giving to be loved with such a great love.

SDG