Over 165 million gallons of water flow over Victoria Falls every
minute. An adult male lion's roar can be heard from up to 5 miles away.
The night sky of the Southern hemisphere contains more visible stars
than that of the Northern hemisphere. These
facts are based on research, research that I, myself, have never done.
However, this week I have experienced all three of these things, and I
can confidently state that truth that comes from experience is much more
profound than truth that comes from knowledge
alone. I had heard all these facts before, but without experiencing
them for myself they were little more than useless bits of information
floating around my already cluttered mind.
Now, each of these facts is attached to a memory, to a moment
when these awesome truths became real to me. I will never forget
standing in the "mist" (which is really more of a torrential downpour)
coming off of Victoria Falls, my arms flung wide, not
caring that my feet were beginning to squish in my shoes or that my
teeth were beginning to chatter. I reveled in the moment. Each minute
that I stood there a few drops out of those 165 million gallons landed
on my upturned face. The sheer enormity of Victoria
Falls became very real to me in that moment. How small was I compared
to this natural wonder. How much smaller am I compared to the God of
Wonders. And yet, when I stand before Him, with my arms flung wide, it's
the enormity of his love that showers my upturned
face.
"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor
rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height
nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate
us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
-Romans 8:38-39
I will never forget being awakened at 2:00am
by the bellowing roars of a restless male lion. I didn't care about the
time of day or the amount of sleep I was missing. I knew that I had to
hear it again. Wrapped tightly in a blanket, sitting on the balcony
of our cabin, I waited. A combination of anticipation and the nip in
the air had me shaking when I finally heard it again. The power in a
lion's roar became real to me in that moment. Oh, how I longed to hear
from this wild lion, this king of the jungle.
How much more should I long to hear from the Lion of the Tribe of
Judah, the King of kings. The reality of experiencing His voice should
drive me to listen with anticipation and long to hear him speak again
and again and again.
"He who has ears to hear, let
him hear." -Matthew 11:15
I will never forget the first time I saw the Southern Cross. The
utter brilliance of the stars in the southern hemisphere made the light
of the stars in the northern hemisphere seem like little more than a
distant memory of a dull glow. Basking in the
radiance that these stars produced, the rest of the world faded around
me. Nothing else mattered, only the brilliance of the light of the sky.
Nothing else matters, only the brilliance of the Light of the World. The
things of this world grow strangely dim
in the light of the One who knows all, sees all, and gave all for
us.
"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying 'I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light
of life.'" -John 8:12
God has allowed me to experience His majesty in brand new ways
this week. His power and splendor have been displayed all around me. And
because of this, God's glory has become real to me.
"The heavens
declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims
his handiwork." -Psalm 19:1
- Please pray for God to continue to allow us to experience Him in new ways.
- Pray that we will continue to rely on Him alone to sustain us in the busy weeks ahead.