Have you ever gone out walking late at night in the winter? Far from the city lights, where stars thick as cream swirl above your head in a dazzling display of color and light. There is nothing like seeing the Milky Way in winter from the mountains of Colorado. It always seemed to me as if God had spilled a box of glitter across the sky and had forgotten to sweep it up. Stars so close, if one had a basket, they could be gathered together like seashells at the beach for taking home.
The glory of God, it’s all around us! It’s there for everyone to see. And, if you can’t see, then, you can smell, touch, and feel the exquisite glory of God, which is on display in us, around us and over us every moment of every day.
I like how the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning puts it:
“Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God: But, only he who sees takes off his shoes, The rest sit round it, and pluck blackberries.”
Isn’t that the truth? Every one sees, but, not every one “sees”.
If we set out to make a list of the great things God has done for us just in our own daily lives, it would take all of eternity to even get a good start!
1) Thank you, God for my beating heart.
2) Thank you, God, for the air I breathe.
3) Thank you, God for eyes with which to see
4) Thank you God for ears to hear …..
….. and, on and on we go ….. 999 million yet to go and we’ve just started with the body!
No wonder the Bible declares:
“You are worthy, O Lord, our God to receive glory, honor and power for you created all things and by your will they were created and have their being.” Revelation 4:11
I received an e-mail a couple of days ago from Steve Coerper of Anakypto Forum and he is at present promoting a video on his website titled – “How Great Is Our God” by Lou Giglio. If you haven’t seen it before, I encourage you to check it out. You won’t be disappointed. It is excellent! As Steve pointed out, (and, I agree) it would be beneficial during these troubled times for us to focus not on how bad it is – but, rather how great and how good our God is! http://www.rogershermansociety.org/giglio.htm
As tragedies strike, as they will and they have, we must be convinced in our hearts of God’s goodness and his love; in spite of what we see. There are always those who will ask why, (and, who will question God’s goodness), but, for those whose hearts are already hardened towards God there is no answer that will suffice. Without the spirit of God, it is impossible to understand how intricately God’s grace, mercy and love are tied to his justice and his righteousness.
After all, it was his love and mercy that brought him to the cross in response to his holiness and righteousness that required the penalty for sin. Therefore, the two are inextricably intertwined and neither can fully be demonstrated without the other.
Our hearts are wrenched at the thought of children buried beneath tons of rubble in the Oklahoma tornado, (and, rightly so) but, hardly a sigh goes forth for the tens of thousands murdered every year in our nations abortion mills. The blood, of whom, cry out to God every day for justice. A silent cry; a cry that we don’t hear, but, he does. And, every day, he waits for us to take action. And, he waits and he waits. Until finally, the cries become too much and he can wait no longer. And, the nation living fat on decadence and luxury is not spared even their own children, whom, they claim to love; but, they don’t.
Love in its purest form demands justice. Would it be just for God to absolve a nation, who cares nothing for their young? Who do evil continually without remorse or repentance? Would it be love to allow them to continue in their evil ways? I think not.
Look at the society we have become in the last forty years. Is it any wonder that God says: STOP! I’ve had enough.
+++++++++++
It’s starting to rain and I can smell it before I can hear it. And, it smells so good and so fresh! The sound of the big drops pattering against the window, mesmerize me, they are like music, a symphony of sound that I appreciate and relish so much more now than I ever did before, when, I had two good ears to hear with. God is watering his earth! How wonderful is that!
And, flowers bloom and trees bear fruit and God’s goodness explodes in to being all around us every minute of every day.
How Great is Our God! HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD! HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!
Amen and Amen!
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, they shall prosper, who love thee” Psalm 122:6
Watching and waiting with YOU for the soon return of Jesus! Cindy
Heaven Bound 
May it please our Father to give sight to those who have lamented the deaths of school children (rightfully so) but have overlooked the plight of the little children, millions of them murdered at the expense of taxpayers, making us all, (including me) conspirators by proxy to commit murder.
Lord, forgive me for my part in this.
By: jeff on May 23, 2013
at 9:34 am
Beautifully said, Cindy… How GREAT is Our God!
By: Tamra on May 23, 2013
at 12:50 pm
Cindy, I agree with the beauty God has blessed us with. Now that we no longer live in a city with street lights in our housing area we can enjoy the wonders of the night skies. Breathtaking.
I would just like to add that there is indeed much to cause one to weep before God in our country. In the state I live in, Arizona, it was a tooth and nail fight to stop abortions at the five month marker. A federal court just ruled that Arizona cannot do that. Then I am linking to a story about an atheist who opened with comments at the session. http://www.kptv.com/story/22401298/atheist-lawmaker-opens
Surely our sins reach heaven.
By: JD on May 23, 2013
at 3:02 pm
Excellent!!! Praising the LORD JESUS with you! amen!!
By: Deirdre on May 23, 2013
at 4:46 pm
Jeff, amen and so well said and true. We should all cry out LORD have mercy!
By: Deirdre on May 23, 2013
at 4:47 pm
[…] https://cindybythesea.wordpress.com/2013/05/23/how-great-is-our-god/ […]
By: How Great Is Our God! | biblebabe778's Blog on May 23, 2013
at 9:50 pm
One evening as I was serving as 24 house mom at Lifehouse, Christian Maternity Home, “How Great is Our GOD” was shown to our girls. I was in awe as I watched the video with them. I’ve watched it a few times since then. GOD is so Great, so Creative, so Magnificent, so Loving, so Gracious, so Patient, so Forgiving…well, the list could go on and on. Thanks, Cindy, for a great reminder that we need not look far to realize how real GOD is.
How is your hearing? I still pray for you in the mornings re your hearing loss as well as for GOD’s guidance. You are blessed to live on Oahu. My son and daughter-in-law have lived there 20 years. I’ve worked in Honolulu on 3 different occasions just to be near them. GOD bless you, Friend.
By: Rita Diane on May 25, 2013
at 12:04 am
Dear Cindy,
Thank you for couniing all your trials with joy! We are being STRETCHED and GROWN by our Father. I pray for you in your hearing trials and as you consider moving back to the mainland. In these dangerous, wicked days, even common things require more faith and trust in the Lord. Pray for me, sister, as I undergo major brain surgery next Monday, June 3 (if God allows). I am trying my best to walk in faith with courage in order to bring glory to God’s holy name, but it is very hard because I am a natural coward of having my body cut on. But I know that God has brought me this far, and He won’t leave me now either, and I trust Him to complete the work HE started in me. Plus, NOTHING will happen to me any day unless HE ordains it! Praise GOD!!
Love and blessings to you!
Kim
[Kim, oh my goodness! Thank you for your love and encouragement to me – and, you in the midst of such a great trial yourself. I can’t imagine facing something as serious as brain surgery. Its only human to feel uncertainty and fear when, facing such things, but, as the moment grows closer, I am certain God will give you peace in the midst of the storm. We know and trust that he holds our lives in his hands and nothing can or will touch us that he has not first allowed. I always think of Corrie Ten Boom and her father, when, she was facing fear and uncertainty and how he so beautifully explained to her, how God gives us just what we need, when, we need it. “Corrie”, he said, when does the train conductor give you your ticket for the train?” “Just before we board Father”, she said. “And, so it is with God” her father replied. “God will give you what you need at the time you need it.” How true that is! And, that has stuck with me all these years since first reading her story, when I was a kid. Kim, I am praying for you dear sister.
“Abba, please, give Kim the sense of your presence and your peace as she goes in to surgery. Father, hold her close in your hands. Help her to know dear Lord, that you are with her. Please give the surgeons an extra measure of wisdom and skill as they treat her and Lord, if you will, please grant a quick and full recovery from her illness. Father, you are the great physician and healer and we come to you knowing that you can do all things in Jesus name! Amen and Amen! Praise the name of Jesus!
Kim, please keep us posted. I will be praying for you as well as many, who read this blog. Much love and blessing in Jesus name! Cindy
By: Kim on May 26, 2013
at 12:07 am
FATHER YAHWEY, Please bring YOUR perfect peace to Kim. Please guide every movement of the surgeons and anesthetists and nurses. Please give her all the grace she will need to bear this time. KING YAHSHUA, please come quickly for all. Amen
By: Deirdre on May 26, 2013
at 4:28 am
Hi Cindy,
I really enjoy your blog and just wanted to pass this article on to you – more of a personal nature so no need to post – just wanted to get the information to you if you hadn’t seen it – though I’m sure you’re experiencing it.
God Bless,
Hawaii’s gentle breezes are disappearing, and scientists don’t know why
June 6, 2013 – HONOLULU — Part of what makes living in Hawaii so pleasant is the gentle breeze. Arriving from the northeast, it’s light enough that it is barely noticeable but strong enough to chase away the humidity. It’s a natural draw to the outdoors. It is not uncommon to show up at a house to find its residents relaxing out in the covered porch or in the car port, not their living room, and enjoying the cooling winds — and a cool drink. Nowadays, experts say, these breezes, called trade winds, are declining, a drop that’s slowly changing life across the islands.
The effects can be seen from the relatively minor, such as residents unaccustomed to the humidity complaining about the weather and having to use their fans and air conditioning more often, to the more consequential, including winds being too weak to blow away volcanic smog. The winds also help bring the rains, and their decline means less water. It’s one reason officials are moving to restore the health of the mountainous forests that hold the state’s water supply and encourage
water conservation.
Scholars are studying ways for farmers to plant crops differently. It’s not clear what’s behind the shift in the winds. “People always try to ask me: ‘Is this caused by global warming?’ But I have no idea,” said University of Hawaii at Manoa meteorologist Pao-shin Chu, who began to wonder a
few years ago about the winds becoming less steady and more intermittent. Chu suggested a graduate student look into it. The resulting study, published last fall in the Journal of Geophysical Research, showed a decades-long decline, including a 28 per cent drop in northeast trade wind days at Honolulu’s airport since the early 1970s.
The scientists used wind data from four airports and four ocean buoys as well as statistical data analysis for their study. Now, they are working to project future trade winds using the most recent data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a scientific body of the United Nations.
Luke Evslin is already noticing the dip. The 28-year-old has paddled outrigger canoes — boats long used around the Pacific for fishing, travel and racing — for most of his life. In Hawaii, this means he rides waves generated by trade winds. These days, though, there are fewer waves to surf because the winds are arriving less often. “You show up and the wind is blowing in the wrong direction. So instead of a 3-hour-45-minute race, it turns into a 5 1/2-hour race,” Evslin said. “So instead of testing your surfing ability, it’s testing your endurance. It’s a different type of
paddling.” He’s thinking he’ll now have to start training for races in canals and rivers to better prepare for flat water conditions.
Sometimes the winds are too weak to blow away the volcanic smog, or vog, created by sulfur dioxide erupting from Kilauea volcano on the Big Island, leaving a white or brownish haze hanging over Honolulu. This aggravates asthma and other respiratory problems.
For now, Chu said the most important consequence will be declining rainfall and a drop in the water supply, particularly as Hawaii’s population grows and uses more water. Trade winds deliver rain to Hawaii when clouds carried from the northeast hit mountainous islands built by millions
of years of volcanic eruptions. These rains, together with rainfall from winter storms, are the state’s primary sources of water. On Oahu, the rain feeds ground aquifers that supply water to about 950,000 people in Honolulu and surrounding towns.
Barry Usagawa, the water resources program administrator for Honolulu’s water utility, said residents are reporting streams near their homes are flowing lower than before. “What we don’t know is if this is truly a downward trend or just the lower leg of a long-term cycle. Is it going to
go back up?” he said. The utility has contracted Chu to develop rainfall forecasts to plan for the decades ahead. – CTV News
[Aloha, Alencon! Thank you so much writing and for your encouragement, I really appreciate it! Thank you too for the article. Very interesting! I think there is something to that. We’ve certainly been complaining of the humidity lately, and the vog, that’s been something else too! A term I don’t even recall hearing, when I came here thirteen years ago. But, working in the medical profession, I see how its affecting people these last few years. So, yes, I would agree, there seems to be a decrease in the trades, a shame, but, then our whole planet is changing. Come Lord, Jesus Come! C]
By: Alencon on June 6, 2013
at 3:24 pm