It has always amazed me to look out the window when flying. I thoroughly enjoy geography so that could make up part of my enjoyment of gazing but I also love to just look down on the earth and think about how vast it really is. Even though I may only be able to see across the earth for 40 miles, it still gives a quick snapshot of how beautiful and huge earth is. I rarely stop and ponder the depth and breadth of God’s creation. It reminds me of Louie Giglio’s talks on the greatness of God. He does an amazing job explains and demonstrating the glory of the Father. Gazing through the tiny aircraft window allowed me to get a nibble of what Giglio talks about and gave me God’s perspective on a very miniscule level.
As I watched the cars and trucks cruise down highways and interstates at what seemed to be slow motion and the thousands of ant sized houses, businesses, schools and factories it struck me how small I, as one single human being, really am. When I got to see for just a glimpse as to how God views His creation it gave me a whole new perspective. Suddenly my life didn’t seem to be the only one that mattered because I could see the thousands of other lives buzzing around simultaneously below me. I could see life happened and places where people worked, played and shopped right before my eyes and it allowed me to realize more fully that God has ALL of that under his control ALL at the same time!
This realization pointed me to God’s power, sovereignty and amazing intimacy with all people. First of all, as I watched and observed each new part of the countryside and each new city we passed over I gained a greater understand of how huge God is. His glorious presence is everywhere all the time and this is simply mind boggling to me. As a finite being I can’t understand an infinite God but looking out over the beautiful landscape gave me a greater appreciation for his grandeur. He is everywhere and over everything. Since God’s presence is everywhere His sovereignty follows. It’s just simply crazy to fathom the fact that God is in control of each and every one of our lives. I looked out the window at the microscope cars and realized that God wants to be in a relationship with each person or persons in each car. He wants to be the leader of each business, household and school that I look on from above. And the greatest thing is that God can handle and deeply desires to be in control of all people and all places. The reality gets even better though! Even though God is incredibly infinite, huge, glorious and can be in many places all at the same time and in control of all people and places at the same time He is somehow the most personal and intimate person ever. My mind is completely boggled once again by the idea that He is over all, in all and through all yet loves you, me and every other person on this planet equally and passionately. He calls each one of us his sons and daughters that put their faith and trust in Christ for their provision of their sin. What this means for us is that God is in our lives. He is not just looking on from above as a benevolent creator and lets the ant-sized cars and microscopic people roam freely to live their own lives dealing with the ups and downs and the failures and victories. No, God is with and in each one he calls sons and daughters and he is in the world through his Holy Spirit. He comes down and among us to be with and in us in a personal way. The beauty is that the bible says he understands all that is going on in and around us. He knows us personally because he knit us together at the beginning of time. The bible says that God knew us even before we were in our mother’s womb. And once again it gets better because He knows our own personal issues, problems and fears. That blows my mind as I am realizing His great sovereignty and omnipresence because there are so many people and our world seems so huge! How can God possibly be over all, in all and through all yet be the best Father ever created? I will never know the answer on this side of Heaven but that is ok because He is God and I am not. I rest in the knowledge that he is bigger, greater, more compassionate, more wise and understanding than I will ever be.
Thankfully and graciously, all of this points me to humility. As I realize God’s true character more fully it puts me in my place in a beautiful way. I feel so inadequate, small, and insignificant in comparison to Him. This is the greatest place to be though! I was reading a book today that was talking about trusting in God to make a way for us as we feel uncertain of where to go next. “In God’s economy, getting to the end of ourselves is the beginning of hope.” What does this mean in connection with the fact that I am humbled by God’s greatness? This quote struck me in a powerful way because it reminded me of the importance and necessity of humility. I need to know that I am finite, limited and small and I realize this each time I look out the window of a plane. But hope arises amidst these seemingly negative realizations. The beauty of God like I said is that he puts us in our place—a place where we can receive hope from the only one who can give it. Until we understand the greatness of God and our need for relying on Him we won’t be able to find true hope. This is the reason why I am so thankful for a window seat. I may have not totally understood God’s greatness and my limitations bringing me to a greater hope unless I had a view from above.
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