By Jane Fryar
God is clothed with awesome majesty. . . He is great in power; justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate (Job 37:22, 23 ESV).
What makes a painting great? Or an opera? Or a pastry, for that matter? What makes an artist, a composer, a baker wonderful? How is that title earned?
By definition, a “wonderful” creation fills our hearts with wonder, with awe and appreciation:
* Consider the intricacies of light and color that dance on a canvas by Monet. Wonder-full!
* Or think about Verdi’s opera, Aida, often staged with enormous sets and sometimes even live horses. Wonder-full!
* Or contemplate that light-as-a-feather French pastry from your favorite bakery—cream-filled and coated with just enough dark chocolate. Wonder-full!
These things are wonderful. But the universe and its wonders are by far more awesome than anything any human being has ever produced. The raw power and intricate wisdom we see in the creation all around us arouse our wonder. But the physical aspects of creation are only the beginning.
Our Creator is also the source of all wisdom, of all beauty, of all truth, of all goodness! We know what justice is because God is just. We know what goodness is because our Creator is fully, entirely, steadfastly good.
Our hearts fill with wonder as we take this all in. Wonder and, perhaps a dash of fear, as well. God is all-good, all-powerful, and all-just. In contrast, we are none of these things. We are often petty, selfish, mean.
Cracked sculptures, moldy pastries, broken oboe reeds—these are trashed. And rightly so. But destruction is not—and never was—our Creator’s will for us. Instead, he intended to rescue, to ransom, to remake us. Writing about a different kind of reed, the prophet wrote:
He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle (Isaiah 42:3 NLT)
We have no righteousness of our own. But the pure robe of our Savior’s righteousness becomes ours by his grace, through faith. He clothes us in it. Jesus’ very own righteousness belongs to all who simply believe his promise is true:
But now thus says the LORD, he who created you. . . . “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1 ESV).
Our Creator is an awesome, wonder-full God. Think about that!
Prayer starter: Lord God, you are wonderful beyond my ability to imagine. Awesome. Majestic. Powerful. But above all, you are good. You are full of love and you forgive . . .
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