13The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; 14from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, 15he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.
– Psalms 33:13-15
The sky went on forever. In the distant horizon, through the converging of mountain peaks, the tip of a volcano pierced through the clouds. What an unbelievable sight to take in. Up close our feet swooshed through the green vegetation of a prairie that was sustained by the coolness of the higher altitude. The smells in the air were of flowers and trees that I’d never seen before. The female sage who guided us on this Tolkien-like tour was strolling ahead picking herbs and natural remedies from the ground to make tea for the soothing of foreigners’ stomachs. The setting could not have felt more tranquil & surreal.
This scene has been playing in my mind for the past two weeks since I returned from Oaxaca, Mexico. As we looked from the mountain our native friends pointed out villages in the valleys. They knew the name of each settlement and the number of Christians that lived in each cluster of homes. They told us how their grandfather or father traveled to share the gospel in each place and how they have been prayerfully seeking to fan their faith into flame. Their dream was for a mature church to be birthed in every village. Even now it takes strength to hold back tears as I recall their vision and passion. There on that mountainside on a piece of ground where perhaps no American had ever stood God was giving our team an ever so small glimpse of His view.
Friends, think of the verse above. If I want to relive that view I’ve got a long trip ahead of me, but the Lord’s gaze is upon it even as you read this. He created the volcano, and can tell not only the villages apart but the mountains as well. He not only sees the beauty, His glory is the very beauty that resonates from this scene. Our God knows the name of every person in every home in every village. Just stop and consider… how amazing is God’s perspective? What we see in a moment God sees forever. What we know in part God knows in full. What we can only wish to be reality our God brings to pass. O how I wish my small and short perspective could be swallowed by God’s complete and eternal view.
Friends, this week we learn to find strength in God’s perspective. He sees all, He knows all, and He accomplishes all things for His glory and for our good. As we finish Exodus 4 we will come to learn that if we want to respond courageously to God’s call, we are going to need to submit our limited view to the Lord’s divine perspective. Take some time to read the rest of Exodus, chapter 4. As a warning, this passage is a doozy. Make sure you are sitting down when you read it and remember that our limited perspective makes it difficult to grasp the totality of God’s plan. I cannot wait to dig into this passage with you.
Check out the worship set!
Please pray for the following people and situations:
- Please pray for the Trinidad team that leaves this Wednesday: Our students will be leading worship, planning a trip for the summer of 2020, and building relationships.
- As a part of this trip, Pastor Jared will be preaching at their Elder installation service on Sunday.
Loved & sent with you,
Pastor Jerry