Posted by Dan Jordan
I don’t know about you, but I’m the type that becomes very focused when I want to get something done. When I go to the store, I’m determined to get what I came for and go home. Unfortunately, that means I sometimes make multiple trips to the same store in the same day because I didn’t take the time to make a list. When I have a specific goal, I like to just put my head down and work at it until I’m finished and then move on to what’s next. Multitasking is not something I believe in; I know people talk about it a lot, but I don’t think it really exists.
Last year I was working out on our property when I heard some music. I stopped to listen and realized that it was coming from my coat. When I finally found which pocket it was coming from, I discovered that my phone had just turned on by itself and was playing Prayer of St. Gregory, an incredibly beautiful orchestral piece by an Armenian-American composer named Alan Hovhaness. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_AzyT8800w)
I looked up as I was listening and saw the Snoqualmie Valley opened up in front of me and Mt. Rainier off in the distance on a crystal clear day. Now I grew up Presbyterian and I don’t tend to think that God talks to me directly, but this time I got the feeling that He was telling me, “You’re missing it. You should stop and enjoy this beautiful world that I created.” (Actually, come to think of it, I’ve heard a similar message from someone very close to me on a number of occasions.)
John tells us at the beginning of his gospel,
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Jesus Christ is the Word of God and John goes to great pains to let us know that the world was made through him. He made the mountains and the forests, he made the rivers and the oceans, and he made the birds and the animals. And he made us. In his image. He made us to reign over all the fish, the birds, and the animals of the earth, because we were worth more to him than anything else he created.
Of those who have heard of Jesus, few of them would deny that he was a man that was born and lived 2,000 years ago. Most people will also admit he was a good man, possibly the best that ever lived. However, a lot of people can’t conceive of him being more than that. Even as a believer, I sometimes forget that he was not only fully man, but also fully God. It’s not that I forget, it’s more that I can’t get my head around the fact that the God of the universe, the creator of all things, chose to leave his home in heaven and be born as a man, ultimately to die for our sins on the cross.
But that’s what he did. He loved us so much that He came into this world that He created and allowed himself to be led to His death on the cross so that we might be made whole and live with Him forever. Why? Because He loved us so much.
As Easter draws near, remember this. Jesus made this incredible world of ours and even though we rebelled, he wanted to save it. He provided a way for us to be with Him forever by being obedient to the will of the Father and paying for our sins. Because he loved us so much. So enjoy the life that he has given us and whenever you see the beauty of nature, remember who made it and remember what he did for us.
Discussion/Application: In the Old Testament, God had the Israelites provide animal sacrifices to pay for their sins. In the New Testament, God chose to come himself in the form of Jesus to die for our sins instead of providing another way. What does it tell us about God that he would send his only son to die for us and give us the gift of eternal life if we believe in him? What does it say about our value to Him?
Bullet Prayer for the day: Father, you are awesome and amazing. Thank you for this beautiful world that I take for granted so often, and thank you for your unending love, that you would send your only son to save me and provide a way for me to live forever with you.
Such a great reminder to not only stop and admire the beauty around us in what God has made, but to especially be in awe of the beauty of the gospel.
Dan, Dan, Dan, multitasking is what women have done for centuries to keep hearth and home together. I appreciate your devotional. It never ceases to amaze me that God became man and provided for us through His being rejected by His own creation. That’s grace and mercy in abundance. Alan Hovhaness certainly knew his way around the keyboard. Thanks for sharing his gorgeous composition.