Reading Psalm 95, verses 1-5 are words and thoughts
which often come into my heart and mind when I look at nature. Driving through the Tetons, watching the
ocean, clouds in a blue sky, the waving of grain touching a Panhandle sky with
nothing else in sight. These all fill me
with joy and awe while I experience blessings of nature God created just for
our enjoyment. What a great and
glorious God we have!
Reading verses 6-7 remind me to be thankful and
show reverence to the God who has given us so very much of Himself. I remember a moment in time when my in-laws,
Wilma and Joe Herndon, mentioned to me they had seen a beautiful, bright,
rainbow in the sky and were overwhelmed with reverence of our creation and
Creator. They found a place to stop on
the side of the road and together sang the Doxology. They felt God needed to be adored and they
responded.
Concluding with verses 8-11 we read something a bit
different. We are reminded not to harden
our hearts. In other words, listen and
obey. For me personally, I can rejoice
in His majesty and I can be reverent in the limited knowledge my mind and heart
can hold of God and I can listen.
HOWEVER, obey often makes me want to put the brakes on. I have to first mull it over, to consider if
it’s a good thing for me, if it is doable.
I believe for me, this is what “not to harden our hearts” that God is
speaking to us about. My human nature
says, “wait…do I want to do this, is it something I can do and why.” Am I the only one who does this? Then these thoughts occur to me in this
season of Advent…what if Mary said, “Are you kidding me? No, I can’t do this.
Find someone else.” Or, if Joseph had
said, “Let me mull over this for awhile, God.”
Our Lord is a great God, God above all gods and the
greatness of His creation is not just to make us feel good. Isn’t it in living in a right relationship
with that creation, through obeying our Creator, that we find the fullest life
and the most joy? I must not harden or
ignore what God asks of me. I must obey
and walk with Him. This is life in
fullness. My humanness still wants to
say…”But.” Please be patient. God is not through with me yet!
Prayer: God,
We need balance. It is easy to take from
You the beauty of Your creation, to receive the love You have shown through the
gift of Your son and accept Your forgiveness.
It is a comfort to know You walk with us but it’s often hard to respect
Your word enough to obey the things You ask of us. Balance our thinking, God. Help us not only rejoice, revere, and respond
but also to respect Your words.
Sharon Herndon
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