Happy the soul that has been awed by a view of God’s majesty.
—A. W. Pink
In chapter 13, I talked about the importance of slowing down, living in “the now” and focusing on what you’re doing. It is good to be focused on what you are doing, but we need to also be sure that we don’t miss all of the amazing things going on all around us. We can’t accomplish much in life without focus, but we can’t enjoy much of life without living amazed! Don’t keep your head down, focusing on what you’re doing so much that you miss the miracle of the moment. Martha did that! In the Bible we are told a story about Jesus going to visit the home of Martha and Mary. Martha was so preoccupied with serving and making sure everything was just right for the visit that she missed the miracle of the moment! Jesus was in the house, and she had an opportunity to sit at His feet and be taught by Him, but she was frustrated because Mary wasn’t helping her. Mary, on the other hand, was sitting at His feet, listening to Him. When Martha complained to Jesus, He told her she was overly concerned and anxious about too many things, and that Mary had chosen the better thing (see Luke 10:38–42). The work was important, but right at that moment, paying attention to Jesus was more important. Make sure that you are not so busy being miserable that you miss the miracles all around you.
I have the privilege of sitting by the ocean sometimes when I work on my books. I have had times when I have kept my head down for seven or eight hours and never looked up except to go to the bathroom. The sad thing is I had the ocean in front of me, but I never saw it simply because I was trying to reach a goal. I am not suggesting that we shouldn’t reach our goals; I am a very goal-oriented person, but I have learned that I can take a few moments every hour or so and enjoy the view and the book will still get done. Actually, I think we have more creative energy to do whatever it is we are trying to do if we pause and give ourselves a few moments to be amazed!
I want to encourage you to reject “head down” living and choose to be amazed. That’s the kind of life God wants you to live—awestruck, astounded, inspired, and amazed. The goodness of God and the splendor of His creation are all around you if you look. Just imagine how much better every day of your life would be if you chose to be amazed by:
• The majesty of a sunrise
• The warmth of a hug
• The birds that seem to sing all the time
• The healing properties of a good laugh
• The love in your spouse’s eyes
• The creativity of your children
• The loyalty of a friend
• The blessings you experience each day
• The talent of an artist
• The colors in the sunset
• The presence of God
These are just a few of the amazing things that happen each day, and they are too wonderful to miss. If you really want to make each day better, one of the best things you can do is take time to consider the great things going on all around you… and be amazed.
Now, I admit, the things listed above are subject to change. Maybe they’re not always so obvious. Sometimes clouds hide the sunrise, occasionally a friend disappoints, and there are certain days when the birds aren’t singing as loudly as others. But that doesn’t mean you can’t live amazed. I want to share two things with you that will never disappoint—two things that can amaze you day after day if you will see them: (1) the greatness of God, and (2) the privilege of trusting God.
“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound…”
“How great Thou art…”
“Jesus, Jesus, Jesus—There’s just something about that Name…”
“Praise God from Whom all blessings flow…”
You probably recognize these lyrics from a few of the classic old hymns of the church. Their words convey a certain wonder and amazement at the greatness of God. This kind of wide-eyed, jaw-dropping astonishment certainly inspires a hopeful, confident outlook on life.
Here’s what Scripture says about the strength and power of God:
The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; the Lord is robed, He has girded Himself with strength and power; the world also is established, that it cannot be moved.
Psalm 93:1
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and the earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and Yours it is to be exalted as Head over all.
1 Chronicles 29:11
Thus says the Lord: Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house would you build for Me? And what kind can be My resting-place?
Isaiah 66:1
Wow! Our God is so powerful that He is “clothed” with majesty—the earth is His footstool! That’s something to be amazed by! There is no person, no enemy, no power, and no force stronger than our God—and He loves you!
Today we have numerous ways to recognize and learn about God’s greatness. We can watch and listen to Bible teachings on TV, radio, and the Internet; we can find encouragement through social media; we can listen to uplifting music; we can read helpful, Bible-based books… the list is almost endless. But sadly, even with all of these ways to be amazed, it still seems that a lot of our reverence and awe of God is lacking.
Familiarity may be the main reason we’ve lost our sense of awe about Who God is. When we allow something—or someone—to become common or ordinary to us, we can often begin to take it for granted and it is no longer special. For many people, this is what has happened with their view of God.
This is what happened to the children of Israel in the first book of Samuel. The Ark of the Covenant was extremely important to the Israelites because it contained the presence of God. It was holy and revered. It was special… so special it was not to be touched by human hands. The priests inserted poles through rings on its sides in order to carry the Ark because no one was permitted to touch it. The presence of God was sacred to them. The Ark went before them everywhere they went. They even followed it into battle—and when they did, they won every conflict!
Amazing, right? The greatness of God was truly something to be amazed by!
But look at what happened: Rather than stay amazed, the Israelites began to get too familiar with the presence of God. They began to take Him for granted, and when they did, their enemies began defeating them in battle. The Philistines actually took the Ark away from them. They lost the presence… the glory of God! And even when they eventually got the Ark back, some still didn’t treat it respectfully, touching it, even though they were forbidden to do so (see 1 Samuel 4–6).
If you feel like you’ve lost your sense of awe, don’t worry—you can stir it up again. Our perspective of God is sometimes like a jar of salad dressing sitting on a shelf—most of the seasoning settles to the bottom of the bottle, but when you shake that bottle up, all the ingredients mix together and then the dressing can add flavor to a salad. In the same way, we can stir ourselves up and regain the wonder, reverence, and awe we once had for the Lord. I have to do this from time to time. We can all get so entrenched in living life and dealing with our daily issues that we forget how amazing God is. Stir up those memories of what God has done for you. Begin to do what you did when you were first filled with God’s presence, His grace and love. I can promise you that God is doing amazing things every day around you and for you, but you may just need to take time to recognize them. The more amazed you are, the better each day will be!
There are several ways we can stir ourselves up. Just stop and think for a moment:
• Begin to reminisce about the goodness of God in your life. Remember things He’s already done to bless you.
• Consider some of the bad situations He has protected you from. Perhaps you missed a bad accident because you locked your keys in the car and ran late for work. Things like this are not necessarily coincidences, and we are able to see the hand of God at work in them if we simply pay attention.
• Keep a journal to record your prayer needs and then the answers and breakthroughs, or a gratitude journal to write down things you are thankful for.
• Share with others what God is doing in your life! It doesn’t matter whether they’re big or small things; remembrance is vital to maintaining hope, and these things can help remind you.
When you focus on how awesome God is—and all the great things He has done, is doing, and even will do in your life—your natural response will be to be amazed! Don’t allow yourself to ever get accustomed to the love and mercy of God in your life—they are great blessings and they are enough to keep us amazed for as long as we live.
Over the course of this book, I’ve talked about a lot of different ways to help you enjoy the life Jesus came to give you. We’ve covered topics as practical as time management and as profound as trusting God in every situation in life.
God wants to help us… He loves us… we are His children. But He will not force His help on us at any time. He sees us when we struggle our way through things, and I am sure it makes Him sad, because all we have to do is ask Him for help. God taught me this truth in a way I’ll never forget.
My husband, Dave, is tall. And I… well, I’m not so tall. We have a really high window over the kitchen sink in our house. When that window is open, there’s no way for me to close it without going through a big ordeal. But how do you think it would make Dave feel if I ran out of the house to go ask the man next door to come and close that window for me? Or what if I tried to do it myself, straining and stretching, maybe climbing up on the counter, possibly knocking things over, getting all worn-out—when all the while Dave was sitting right there? That would really be insulting to him.
In the same way, how do you think it makes God feel when He sees us running to others for help or struggling on our own so needlessly? I think He is grieved, because He doesn’t want to see His children hurting. With any issue you face, God is right there waiting for you to simply ask for help.
So whatever changes you have been inspired to make throughout the pages of this book, the process to a new, better, more enjoyable life is simple: (1) Humble yourself, (2) trust God and ask for His help, and (3) then do whatever He may ask you to do. When you follow these simple steps, you’ll be amazed at how much better life can be.
We often look at trusting God as something we need to do, or have to do, but in reality, the invitation to trust God is a great privilege and something that certainly should amaze us. I’m amazed that I have God on my side, and He can do anything, anywhere, because nothing is impossible for Him. I am sure you feel the same way, or you will if you take time to think about it.
You are not alone, you are not without help, God has a plan, and even if you have sinned, He will cleanse you and help you without reproach or fault-finding. You have the great privilege of taking any problem to Him at any time, knowing that He listens, He cares, and He is ready to help!
There have been many times in my life when I’ve had a problem and I’ve said, “Well, I have done everything I know to do. I guess all I can do now is trust God.” Perhaps you have said the same thing. That actually is a terrible statement and shows how little faith we often have. Let us now say, “I have a problem and I am blessed to be able to trust God to help me with it. I cast my care on Him, and He cares for me. I will wait on Him, and do anything He shows me to do, and I will trust Him for the strength and ability to do it.”
Our bad days will be short-lived as soon as we learn to trust God in every situation and to do so without delay! We may have difficulties, but our hope and faith in Him will be more than enough to get us through them and to help us come out of them in total victory!
So lift up your head today and smile. God is amazing and He is your God!
• Awestruck, astounded, inspired, and amazed—that’s the kind of life God wants you to live.
• There are two things that can amaze you day after day if you will see them: (1) the greatness of God, and (2) the privilege of trusting God.
• When you recognize God for Who He is, you’ll realize what He can do in your life.
• Trusting God is a privilege, not an obligation.
• God wants to help us… He loves us… we are His children. All we have to do is ask.