"Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you,
majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?"
-Exodus 15:11Is it just me or is the word "awesome" becoming a tad overused? Does a dessert really inspire awe? Does a roller-coaster really deserve this title? Can it be defined in a humorous poster?
We recently made a trip to see the Grand Canyon and I must say, that is probably the closest thing to "awesome" on this earth. It's sheer size and grandeur will drop your jaw. As we were driving there I kept telling my kids what a privilege this was and we would be seeing it for the first time together (Kim saw it as a child, but I never have). I was able to capture their memorable reaction on video:
Yes...my children were more enamored with some nearby rocks and dirt over one of the "seven natural wonders of the world". How sad. Isn't this true for all of us in some sense? We often find ourselves distracted by things so unworthy of our attention, worshiping created things over the Creator, and in so doing we fail to appreciate the beauty and wonder of God Himself.
As awesome as the Grand Canyon is only God truly deserves that title. Have you ever noticed that anytime a person enters the presence of God in Scripture their immediate response is to fall on their face? That's "shock and awe". Notice it's not a holy God scurrying away from sinful man. It's sinful man falling down and hiding his face from an awesome and holy God.
In our man-centeredness many of us tend to think that sin somehow has power over God - as if God is Superman and sin is his kryptonite. We have it backwards. It's not so much that a holy God cannot dwell with sin - but rather it's sin that cannot dwell with a holy God. When Uzzah touched the Ark of the Covenant (2 Sa 6:7) the Ark was not destroyed....he was. Sin and anything sinful is simply vaporized when it comes into contact with the awesome holiness of God. It's as simple as that.
Seeing the Canyon reminded me of the great chasm that separates us from God. We have been separated by our sin and that separation is vast. It is humanly impossible to bridge that gap. But in the Gospel we learn that God, in His goodness, has bridged that gap. He bridged it through His Son Jesus Christ and it is only in him that we find the true "stairway to heaven" (Jn 1:51).
And so God did not send His Son as a panacea to His greatest weakness - He sent His Son as a panacea to our greatest weakness. This was not God's solution to His greatest problem - it was God's solution to our greatest problem. Thank you Lord.
In His Grace,
Peter & Kim
hey peter! this is andrew kang. it was truly a blessing meeting you and your family last week. i was planning on attending the seminar but unfortunately i had to work. i heard good things about it. have a safe trip back home and i hope to hear from you often!
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