How Often We Forget...

How often we forget the power of our God and the things in which He creates. I wish I had written this post a while back so I could remember the vivid details of the moment. I like to call this a "God moment". You know these moments. The moments where you really feel the presence of God and the times in which you know He exists, not because you've been told He does or it just makes sense, but when you actually know without a doubt. Even myself as a Christian and firm believer can become so involved with the world and my place in it that I become casual in my belief in an almighty and powerful God as designer and ruler of this universe.

A couple of weeks ago Ashley and I and two of our good friends headed up to the lake for a weekend of fun and relaxation. At the time, I was knee deep in the story of Job in the Bible. I can't believe I had never read through the book of Job. It is such a powerful story and so relatable to our lives. It reminds us of the power of our God and even when tough times ensue in our everyday lives, God still exists and we must remain faithful. I wish I could spend hours writing about this book of the Bible which has quickly turned into my favorite book.

Saturday morning I was awoken by the dogs, of course, who both needed to go outside. As I let them outside, the sun was rising and there was little light to fill the sky. I decided to walk down to the dock, have a short conversation with God, and enjoy the beauty of the morning. God decided I needed to stay a while. While looking out upon the water, I was reminded of my recent readings in Job and it all came together. The visualization of what I had been reading was awesome. Two days prior the following verses were the central theme of my Bible reading.

Job 26:7-10
He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing. He wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight. He covers the face of the full moon, spreading his clouds over it. He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters for a boundary between light and darkness.

Now, you can imagine how invigorating it felt to be on the dock looking out upon the water at a small layer of fog, the reflection of the treetops on the surface of the water, and the feeling of a sense of presence on this ball of mass we call Earth. Oh the power and awe of God. As Job struggled with his faith, he was still able to write these beautiful verses. It's easy to forget the power of God and the control He has over us and this universe. As the book of Job continues, Job gets frustrated with God and this is where it becomes so relatable. Job was the kind of man that lived to please God and yet he received misfortunes, so like we often do, he turns to God and pleads with Him and tells Him how all he has tried to do is love Him and do as He instructs. Finally, God gets his time for rebuttal.

God proceeds to remind Job and us in Chapter 38 that He is the creator of the universe and the power He has is unmatched. God gains nothing from us. He is perfect. He can not learn anything from us, we can not teach Him anything new, and we can't show or do something He hasn't seen or done with the exception of sin. No verse from the book of Job has stuck with me more than the following verse and standing on the dock in the early morning watching God do His work made this verse come alive.

"Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place." Job 38:12

Let me think, hmmm...thinking...uhhhh...no. Wow! That verse really puts me in my place. How often we forget the power of God. I can't say it enough. When I try and justify my accomplishments and obedience toward God I want to think back to this verse and remember the actions my God is taking each and every second without recognition. He is choosing to order the sun to rise each day and set each night. He allows the rain to fill up the clouds and sit there until it is time to release the water and let it drop down upon the Earth. He continues to allow this great ball of mass to suspend in space at the exact distance from the sun for us to live and breathe. How often we forget...