Tammy On Tuesday ~ Missing Majesty

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One word I find on the tip of my tongue when I visit Alaska is “majestic”!  I’m reminded of a passage in Psalm…

Psalm 19 –

1The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

The skies display his craftsmanship.

2Day after day they continue to speak;

night after night they make him known.

3They speak without a sound or word;

their voice is never heard.^a

4Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,

and their words to all the world.

PINIMAGEI can’t help but worship God when I see the sites and wild life of Alaska.  It’s breathtaking…

…when you can see it.

Tomorrow we fly home. It’s been a great few days and we’ve enjoyed time with family and friends, as we always do. However, this time around, the weather has been unseasonably warm and rainy for Alaska in February.

The rain and clouds have shrouded the usual majestic view of the breathtaking mountains, visible from really anywhere in Anchorage. I’ve only gotten glimpses here and there of the snowy white peaks through the breaking clouds.

I remember my first visit years ago. I was speechless as I left the airport and saw the amazing snow capped mountains. I couldn’t look away.

With Delaware being so flat, I can’t seem to take in enough of the view of the mountains here. I have wondered to myself if people here get tired of or used to the landscape. It’s seems an impossibility.   But when I ask people who live here, they say they don’t really stop and stare much any more.

These past few days, we’ve also missed out on seeing any of the wild life I usually look forward to encountering during our visits. Every previous trip, we’ve had more than one moose siting.

ThPINIMAGEey are huge animals and fascinating to see in the wild. We’ve seen them in parking lots and in the front yard of homes. We’ve seen them along the high way and even at cross walks. You never know when you’ll encounter a moose but seeing them always stirs up in me a sense of deep awe for an amazing Creator.

 

When we visited several years ago, I saw two bear cubs running across a remote road while traveling outside Anchorage. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. We’ve seen bald eagles soaring over the water, dall sheep walking precariously on the cliffs of the mountains, beluga whales surfacing in great numbers and so much more. They all point back to an extraordinary Creator who deserves my worship.

When I see such beauty I can’t help but think of God and feel the proper response is to worship Him.

But with the weather not cooperating two words come to my mind over and over.

“Missing Majesty”.

Isn’t it awesome to experience God’s majesty? When we do, we remember He is above all no matter what we may face in life.

When we face life’s challenges in the light of God’s majesty, we have confidence that He is greater than anything we might come up against and we are elated that this great God loves us and is FOR us!

But what about those times when clouds of uncertainty lay heavy upon us, or problems rain down and obscure our view.  When we can’t see God?  When we can’t trace His hand?  When we don’t feel like worshiping and instead find ourselves doubting and complaining.
Or maybe you’ve become so accustomed to God’s presence that you no longer look for Him with a heart of thanksgiving and awe.  You just go through life, missing the majesty of God.

Missing majesty?

Here’s the thing. He never changes. If the majesty is missing, it’s because I’m missing it – whether it be due to my circumstances or my forgetfulness.

If the majesty is missing, it’s because I’m missing it.

But there’s good news for us.

Have you not heard? Yahweh is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never grows faint or weary; there is no limit to His understanding. He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless – Isaiah 40:28-29

Today, take some time to reflect on God’s majesty.  Remember that the Creator and King is unchanging even in the ever-changing circumstances of your life. He will give you strength and a renewed vision of who He is.  Just take your eyes off the circumstances and refocus them on Him.

Don’t miss the majesty.

Psalm 121

1I look up to the mountains—

does my help come from there?

2My help comes from the LORD,

who made heaven and earth!

3He will not let you stumble;

the one who watches over you will not slumber.

4Indeed, he who watches over Israel

never slumbers or sleeps.

5The LORD himself watches over you!

The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade.

6The sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon at night.

7The LORD keeps you from all harm

and watches over your life.

8The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go,

both now and forever.