Sunday Writing... 1-27-19... AWESOME WONDERS

Awesome morning to you!

Today's writing, "AWESOME WONDERS," is the fourth in a series about light.  This one expands from talking just about the lights in the sky to all creation.  It moves from astrology to the hymn, How Great Thou Art!

Blessings on this awesome Sunday,
Jan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today's Devotional: 

"AWESOME WONDERS"

by

Jan Andersen

Many people want to know what their astrological sign is, and what that means for them personally.  As a youngster I was thrilled to know that I was a Sagittarius - half horse, half human - a centaur.  “Awesome! No wonder I love horses!” I thought.  I was thrilled!  The human half is also associated with an archer, and I loved archery as well.  According to astrology, being born under that sign apparently means I can be optimistic and freedom-loving, jovial and good-humored, honest and straightforward, intellectual and philosophical.  I won’t list the negative qualities.  Ha!

There are also many who go beyond knowing their “sign” and look for their horoscope every day, a prediction of what is going to happen to them.  Astrology can get very complicated, predicting how the positions of the lights in the sky, i.e. the stars and planets, supposedly will effect people.  Others dig even deeper and seek out a tarot card reader or other such fortune-tellers.

While God created the lights in the sky, as in the sun, moon, stars and planets, he did not create them to rule over our lives or predict how our days would turn out by some divination or equation of alignments.  They were given to us by God to help us in our lives, not to be worshipped by us. 

Deuteronomy 4:19, 24 ESV  And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven….  For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

It is the Creator to whom we are to bow down and worship and serve, not His creation.  He creates greater awesome wonders in our lives than anything in astrology purports to offer.  

Deuteronomy 10: 21 NIV  He is the one you praise; He is your God, who performed for you these great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.  

“Awesome wonders” reminds me of the first verse of “How Great Thou Art.”  The words to this hymn were penned by a Swedish poet and pastor after being caught in a fast-moving severe thunderstorm, followed by the beautiful sun coming out with a rainbow.  Then as the sun was setting he heard birds singing in the trees as church bells rang out.  Later after many translations, we now have this hymn to remind us of God’s amazing creation and our response of awesome wonder.  The 3rd and 4th verses speak of God giving His Son as a sacrifice on the cross for our forgiveness and our joyful reunion in heaven with Him.  Enjoy the version of this hymn below.

Dear Creator God in heaven, we thank you for your “awesome wonders” from the beginning of time.  You daily bless us through your creation.  Help us to remember You are the provider of all things, especially Your Son, Jesus, who died on the cross in our place so that we would have forgiveness and salvation.  For that we worship, adore and serve You.  In Jesus name,  Amen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Song:

"HOW GREAT THOU ART"

Maranatha

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Deuteronomy 10:14

To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prayers are lifted up daily for you

 by the Devotional Writers and the Monthly Writing Staff

 of Women's Focus Ministries.

Blog Writers:

Jan Andersen, Sandy Billingham, Carol Steficek,   

 Brother Thomas Ukwute, Jody Ward,  Karen Bennett, 

Bre Miller, Cathy Friberg, and  Corinne Mustafa

Elizabeth McElderry, Betty Espindola,  Lynda Kinnard

Amie Spruiell, and Debbie Rodriguez

Occasional Contributors:

Kathy Bireley, Terri Baker, Beverley Napier,

 Kelly Dobyns, Glenna Williamson,

  Amie Spruiell, and Lisabeth Lipp.