Awe...

Who compares with you among the gods, O Lord?
Who compares with you in power,
in holy majesty,
in awesome praises?
You are a wonder-working God!
Exodus 15:11 (the Message)

Today, I am sitting on a veranda on the side of one of the largest ships in the world. On any given cruise, this ship can accommodate over 6000 passengers along with over 1000 crew members. They tell us that this cruise is at capacity. With a compliment of over 7000 souls on board, I am left wondering if they really have enough lifeboats to accommodate all of us in an emergency. Yet, I dare not spend too much time contemplating such questions, when there is so much to see and do… 24 eating options, 5 pools and 10 whirlpools, surfing, waterslides, Broadway shows, trivia, karaoke, a 10-story tall slide, an indoor shopping mall, a piano bar, and so much more. But instead of exploring all the wonders of this ship, I am sitting on my veranda. This perch is mine for only 7 days, so I am trying to drink in the view for as long as it is mine to enjoy. On our previous cruises, we have opted for a cheap cabin in the interior of the ship with no natural light to tell the day from the night. How much time do you spend in your room anyway- and most of that time is spent with your eyes closed. But this time, our daughter treated us to a room with a view, so here I sit mesmerized.

You might think that there is not much to view, since the ocean stretches out as far as the eye can see. From here, the Ivory Coast of Africa is over 1000 miles away, and the tip of Spain is over 1700 miles as the sea gull flies. All I can see is water, and more water, wave upon wave upon wave. What stretches out before my eyes is an expanse of water that takes my breath away. For our most recent Vacation Bible School- Scuba- I googled ocean facts to share with the kids at our opening worship. I now know that 71% of the earth is covered with water- 352 quintillion gallons of water. (That’s a number with 18 zeros.) The average depth of the ocean is 2.3 miles, and at its deepest point- the Mariana Trenchthe water stretches down 6.8 miles in depth. Over 2 million species live in those waters, many have yet to be classified, most I would not want to meet. The ebb and flow of the oceans act as the heart of the planet, regulating the earth’s climate. I take a deep breath of those ocean breezes knowing that 70% of the oxygen we breathe is produced by these waters.

I am in awe… not just of the immensity of these waters, but of the God who created all that stretches out before my eyes. St. Paul began his letter to the Romans with this declaration: 

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 people are without excuse. (Romans 1:20)

The poet Gerard Manley Hopkins writes, “The world is charged with the glory of God.” The Psalmists often looked to the heavens to see the handprint of an awesome God… They write: “The heavens declare the glory of God…” But from my seat today, I am in awe of the God who created the expanse of waters that stretch out below those heavens. I am just a spec on this huge ship. And this ship is a mere spec in this vast ocean. And truth be told, this vast ocean is spread out across a planet that is a mere spec among the 800 billion planets in our Milky Way galaxy. And our galaxy is a mere spec in the expanse of the universe. I am awed by a Creator who is greater than all of that creation. To paraphrase Psalm 8, ‘I look at the whitecapped waves of your ever-moving waters and I wonder: who are we that you would be mindful of such a small part of your creation.’ But then I remember the One who came for someone as insignificant as me, and I am overwhelmed by the love of our Creator. So today, I am sitting on my veranda drinking in a moment I hope will never leave my heart and mind. Our God is an awesome God!

Look up, look out, look in the mirror… and see the handprint of the glory of God.

With you, in awe…
Anita