The frigid December air is crisp with wintry breath as I exhale a cloud of vapor that quickly vanishes into the starlit night. Millions of stars are brilliantly scattered above me giving light to the diamonds that appear in the snow all around me. In the stillness of solitude only the crunching of the powder beneath my feet breaks the silence.
I stare up into the heavens uttering soundless words, as the constellations look down upon me with proud, comforting eyes. Their grand display is familiar to me like the warmth of smile from a good friend or like the cozy hug of a soft blanket.
I am at peace as I continue my hushed serenade of poetic monologue. My unheard words float gently from my lips like ashes scattered into the wind. Quickly escaping the outer atmosphere, they travel to distant worlds and galaxies with messages composed from the deepest caverns of my heart-- hope, despair, love, treachery.
On this night, my typical monologue mysteriously transformed into a dialogue with the invisible realities being made tangible.
Have you ever been there? Have you ever had those moments when something beyond reason or beyond your explanation happened? How have you explained your experience? As a fluke?
I am starting a series of posts starting today and in the weeks to come named "elemental faith." I will be looking into the four basic elements of creation-- water, wind, fire, and earth-- to seek out the fingerprints of God.
But to clarify, this is NOT some attempt to redefine Biblical Theology nor is it an attempt to mix Christ-centered faith with Rosicrucianism, Mysticism or New Age. But let's be honest, God's own name is a bit of a mystery, isn't it? When Moses asks God who he should say sent him to deliver the Jews from Egypt, God simply replies, "I AM who I AM." What? Scholars and Theologians tells us that God is essentially saying, "You can call me, 'The Eternal One' or 'The Self-Existing One'." In fact, anytime you see the word "LORD" in the Scriptures, this is referring to God as "I AM" or "Yahweh". God is a bit of a mystery.
Encountering Yahweh God will bring us to a place of awe and wonder.
You may recall a post of quotes that I did during Passion week called, "the search." The following section still resonates with me and I wanted to expand upon this idea:
"We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him." -C.S. Lewis
"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:20, NIV
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalms 19:1, NIV
"In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy." Acts 14:16-17, NIV
But here is a word of caution- not everything we experience in life that seems spiritual or mysterious is from this Yahweh God. It would be foolish of us to assume this given that The Scriptures are clear that there exists an invisible world all around us filled with good and evil. And to complicate matters, the evil can seem good. What? I know! The evil powers or energy or spirits will put up a facade of good; they lie. Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself...
"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve." 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, NIV (emphasis added)
[Jesus said,] "Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:43-44, NIV (emphasis added)
"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God." 1 John 4:1-2, NIV (emphasis added)
So, now that I have gone to great lengths with my disclaimer, explanation, etc... I am pumped about this new series and hope that it will help us indeed see that the "world is crowded" with the fingerprints of Yahweh God.
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composed by
dave
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