Forthright Fixation

And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Genesis 15:5a (ESV)

A couple weeks ago, while living at a remote camp somewhere near Middle of Nowhere, Virginia, I had the opportunity to take a handful of strolls beneath a completely clear night sky. The few times I forgot a flashlight, I found my sight caught by the splendor of billions of stars scattered through the blackness. As my friend, a former Boy Scout, proceeded to point out Orion’s Belt, Venus, and a number of other heavenly bodies that only a Boy Scout would know, I found myself even more in awe. All of a sudden, walking my dog to the end of our driveway at night and gazing upwards through the trees became a seemingly limited experience.

Until I was given the view I had two weeks ago, numbering the stars I could see (which aren’t many from the end of my driveway) didn’t seem completely infeasible. Difficult, perhaps, but not impossible. After having been shown such a splendid view, however, the concept of numbering stars was put into a slightly more realistic perspective. Such hugeness is unfathomable, yet I so often minimize it by limiting my understanding to what I can see.

Sadly, I frequently allow this mindset to take its toll on the way I look at God. I look at my sin, the broken world around me, and a multitude of miscellaneous anxieties grip my heart. Slowly God begins to shrink in my eyes. His grandeur in my mind is eroded. I begin to forget His sovereignty, and the innumerable instances of His profound mercy and grace. Eventually, when left to myself, my own sin and the sin I see around me start to consume my entire field of vision. The trees start overwhelming the sky, my dog pulls at the leash, and that glorious former awe is diminished.

Recently, while flipping through some of my favorite passages in Psalms, I came across this command:

Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, and whose power is in the skies. (Psalm 68:34, ESV)

I love how God doesn’t leave this as a suggestion. This powerful verse isn’t a question, and it has no exceptions or stipulations attached. As a command, this verse also reminds us that ascribing power to the God of the universe doesn’t come naturally. What a humbling thought! Left to ourselves, we become distracted by sin. We pitch our tents at the end of the driveway, satisfied with our branch-riddled and distraction-prone view of the stars.

In addition to dwelling on the sheer power of God, we’re also called to praise Him for His abundant mercies! If we thought counting the number of stars in the sky was a daunting task, we can’t even begin to put a quantity on the mercies God abundantly pours out into our lives. As is written in 2 Corinthians and [once again] Psalms,

God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” (2 Corinthians 9:8-9, ESV)

Oh, how abundant is Your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear You and worked for those who take refuge in You, in the sight of the children of mankind! (Psalm 31:19, ESV)

Therefore,

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16, ESV)

C.S. Lewis put it well when he said, ”…it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, like an ignorant child who wants to go making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the beach. We are far too easily pleased.”

As children of the King of Kings, may we never be accused of being too easily pleased with our vantage point when it comes to God. Let’s pitch our tents in the middle of nowhere and be captivated by the view.

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
(Ephesians 3:20-21, NIV)

Filed under: Joy in Christ, Knowing God, Satisfied