“The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the LORD, will do for you.” – Exodus 34:10b
Have I lost the awe and wonder of knowing that Jesus gave His life as a ransom for my sins? Have you? During this time of isolation, I knew I needed to be intentional about how I ordered my days. I decided I needed to first spend time in God’s Word and second spend my reading time in theologically sound Christian non-fiction. The Women’s Ministry shared a reading list on Facebook, so several friends and I have been reading Paul David Tripp’s book, Awe: Why it Matters for Everything We Think, Say and Do. This book reminds us that ultimately we were created to live in awe of Him. I had to ask myself—have I grown so familiar with truth that I forget to live in awe of it?
Another activity our family has been enjoying during this season is watching the TV series, The Chosen (available through on Pure Flix). This TV series tells the story of Jesus’ life. Several months ago, we were given Season 1 on DVD; honestly, I wasn’t overly interested in watching it. Regrettably, I assumed that if you’ve seen one movie version of the Gospels, you’ve seen them all, and I’ve read the story many times anyway—Right? I couldn’t have been more wrong. The Lord has used this show to renew my awe of the amazing gift the Lord gave us when He became flesh and dwelt among us. Did you read the truth of that sentence? The Lord of all creation—The God Who Made Us—came in the flesh to live WITH us. We should never get tired of hearing that truth, but my familiarity with the story had caused me to grow callous. Father, forgive me!
The Lord is so good. He has used the beauty of His creation, the truth from other believers, and a precious Christian TV show to draw me back into amazement—AND He continues to pour out His goodness. Before the pandemic began, before the social distancing was put into place, and before this time of isolation, the Women’s Ministry decided that the next devotion series would focus on the “Names of Jesus.” Starting next week, I will have consistent reminders to live in awe of what the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus mean for my life today.
Maybe this time of isolation when you are stuck seeing the same place day after day has dulled your senses to the wonder around you. Maybe your time in God’s word has grown stagnant and feels like just another thing to mark off your “to do” list. I pray that as we read the devotions describing the different names given to Jesus in the New Testament, our hearts will renew with awe and wonder. I pray that as we ponder the familiar passages, the Lord would fan into flames the gift of faith we have been given (2 Timothy 1:6). I pray that as we behold His glory in His Word, we would be conformed into His likeness through the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18), and I pray that His light would shine through us as we share the wonder of this gift to the rest of the world (Matthew 5:16).