A WILD AND WONDERFUL GOD
..on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened, and rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. Genesis 7:11-12
On whatever day God choses, He can display a power that I can’t fathom. His power is at work, even today, as I view the heavens and, simultaneously; watch the unfolding of a flower or the birth of a newborn baby. On this day in the Genesis account, God returned the waters of the earth to their original places. Water covered the surface of the earth and water was also the canopy of the earth. (Genesis 1:6)
The waters, relegated to a subterranean place at creation, were released from their deep place to once again cover the face of the earth. Whether a volcano
did it or God just ripped the earth to release them, I do not know. But the point is that none of this was impossible with God. God also caused the water canopy above the earth to descend, causing unending torrential rains.
Isaiah stresses that God is the one who can easily open the windows of heaven and also make the foundations of the earth tremble. (Isaiah 24:18) God is not tame by man’s whim. It is foolishness to conceive of him as an old man who loves and blesses outside of strict parameters. His power and might should cause me to fall to my knees and cry for mercy.
During my lifetime, I have enjoyed the stability God has granted the earth. This is only ‘for now.’ I breathe the oxygen here and I rely on the rains as if they were a self-sustaining cycle. I rely on the arrival of spring and the gentle warming of the earth to grow our food supply. I rely on just the right amount of winter. Snow and ice won’t cover the earth and the temperatures won’t go much below zero. Who controls all that? Is it not the mercy of God that grants it? Why does our planet sustain life while all others are hostile? God created them all, after all!
The same power it took for God to speak the re-arrangement of the earth in place for the flood was displayed again as He chose to atone for His creation through the unjust death of His Son, Jesus. My reaction to both should be the same. Awe, humility, and trembling that One so great and holy could also love me tenderly. One day, we will see God destroy the earth again, then rebuild it. He is wild and glorious but also so trustworthy that the most fragile life can choose to exist in the palm of His hand.
How come it took me so long to trust You completely?
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
Originally published Tuesday, 19 March 2024.
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