Gazing?

02.08.21—An Awesome God – Psalm 47: 7

My friend, may I ask you a question? In a way, this is how you and I often see God. If we can’t figure Him out in the first place, why do we keep trying to dig even deeper only to discover the weight of knowing Him is even heavier than what we thought?

My friend, life’s a story, welcome to This Passing Day.

I’m M. Clifford Brunner

Tennis elbow. I’ve done it to both of my arms and am suffering through its affects in the left arm right now. Since we burn with wood during these winter days, I’m constantly carrying it loaded into my right arm by the left hand. But, life goes on as they say. So, over the weekend, I decided it was time to dig into another job here at Beech Springs; cleaning the attic. That means heavy bins and a whole bunch of lifting. As Holly and I dug into the task, I began lifting a very heavy bin filled with fabric and Holly shot a remark my way. “You can barely lift a few sticks of wood with that arm. Why are you trying to lift the heavy bin by yourself? Good point! I couldn’t argue with that.

In a way, this is how you and I often see God. If we can’t figure Him out in the first place, why do we keep trying to dig even deeper only to discover the weight of knowing Him is even heavier than what we thought?

Here’s a story: Once, as an experiment, the great scientist Isaac Newton stared at the image of the sun reflected in a mirror. The brightness burned into his retina, and he suffered temporary blindness. Even after he hid for three days behind closed shutters with but a candle and even that bothered his eyes, still the bright spot would not fade from his vision. “I used all means to divert my imagination from the sun,” he writes, “But if I thought upon him I presently saw his picture though I was in the dark.” (Philip Yancey, Disappointment With God, Zondervan, p. 74.)

There is a parable in Newton’s experiment; if you can barely endure candlelight, how can you gaze at the sun? On his deathbed, surrounded by his closest friends, as St. Augustine slipped away to be with the Lord, his breath ceased, and his heart stopped, and a wonderful sense of peace filled the room. Suddenly his eyes reopened, and with his face aglow he declared to those present, “I have seen the Lord. All I have written is but straw.” Then he left for his eternal home. How magnificent God must be and how incapable we are to hold that knowledge in our tender hearts and minds. Sometimes, it’s better to put down the heavy bin of trying to know Him when even the few sticks of our knowledge are too heavy for us to bear.

We pray. Lord, this is often how we see You. We keep digging into whatever we can find to know You better, but all we find are more questions without any answers. If we can’t figure You out in the first place, why do we keep trying to dig even deeper only to discover the weight of knowing You is even heavier than what we thought? Forgive us when we don’t seek, but please forgive us when we seek and think we have all the answers. How magnificent You must be and how incapable we are to hold that knowledge in our tender hearts and minds. Sometimes, it’s better to put down the heavy bin of trying to know You when even what little knowledge we find is far too heavy for us to bear. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen!

Therefore my friend, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself; each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt 6:34) This Passing Day. May this passing day honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be a blessing to you and everyone you meet. Find a stranger and say hello. Don't let another day pass without your day blessing someone else.

If you have a special prayer request, please send your request to "This Passing Day!"

<thispassingday@gmail.com> From Beech Springs, God bless you for Jesus sake.

Gazing?

02.08.21—An Awesome God – Psalm 47: 7

My friend, may I ask you a question? In a way, this is how you and I often see God. If we can’t figure Him out in the first place, why do we keep trying to dig even deeper only to discover the weight of knowing Him is even heavier than what we thought?

My friend, life’s a story, welcome to This Passing Day.

I’m M. Clifford Brunner

Tennis elbow. I’ve done it to both of my arms and am suffering through its affects in the left arm right now. Since we burn with wood during these winter days, I’m constantly carrying it loaded into my right arm by the left hand. But, life goes on as they say. So, over the weekend, I decided it was time to dig into another job here at Beech Springs; cleaning the attic. That means heavy bins and a whole bunch of lifting. As Holly and I dug into the task, I began lifting a very heavy bin filled with fabric and Holly shot a remark my way. “You can barely lift a few sticks of wood with that arm. Why are you trying to lift the heavy bin by yourself? Good point! I couldn’t argue with that.

In a way, this is how you and I often see God. If we can’t figure Him out in the first place, why do we keep trying to dig even deeper only to discover the weight of knowing Him is even heavier than what we thought?

Here’s a story: Once, as an experiment, the great scientist Isaac Newton stared at the image of the sun reflected in a mirror. The brightness burned into his retina, and he suffered temporary blindness. Even after he hid for three days behind closed shutters with but a candle and even that bothered his eyes, still the bright spot would not fade from his vision. “I used all means to divert my imagination from the sun,” he writes, “But if I thought upon him I presently saw his picture though I was in the dark.” (Philip Yancey, Disappointment With God, Zondervan, p. 74.)

There is a parable in Newton’s experiment; if you can barely endure candlelight, how can you gaze at the sun? On his deathbed, surrounded by his closest friends, as St. Augustine slipped away to be with the Lord, his breath ceased, and his heart stopped, and a wonderful sense of peace filled the room. Suddenly his eyes reopened, and with his face aglow he declared to those present, “I have seen the Lord. All I have written is but straw.” Then he left for his eternal home. How magnificent God must be and how incapable we are to hold that knowledge in our tender hearts and minds. Sometimes, it’s better to put down the heavy bin of trying to know Him when even the few sticks of our knowledge are too heavy for us to bear.

We pray. Lord, this is often how we see You. We keep digging into whatever we can find to know You better, but all we find are more questions without any answers. If we can’t figure You out in the first place, why do we keep trying to dig even deeper only to discover the weight of knowing You is even heavier than what we thought? Forgive us when we don’t seek, but please forgive us when we seek and think we have all the answers. How magnificent You must be and how incapable we are to hold that knowledge in our tender hearts and minds. Sometimes, it’s better to put down the heavy bin of trying to know You when even what little knowledge we find is far too heavy for us to bear. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen!

Therefore my friend, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself; each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt 6:34) This Passing Day. May this passing day honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be a blessing to you and everyone you meet. Find a stranger and say hello. Don't let another day pass without your day blessing someone else.

If you have a special prayer request, please send your request to "This Passing Day!"

<thispassingday@gmail.com> From Beech Springs, God bless you for Jesus sake.