Thanking him with eyes lifted high…

“To whom then will you compare me that I should be like him? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.” Isaiah 40:25-26

Moses had Mt. Sinai. I have the Holden Arboretum – the place where I can go on prayer walks and be surrounded by natural beauty in all four seasons. I was there recently on a day when there was just enough sun and “warmth” for the snow to start melting, and I noticed right away that the clouds were simply gorgeous. Except for a few short segments where I had to keep my eyes on the ground (mainly to avoid slipping on ice), I was practically admiring the sky for an entire forty-five minutes. With my gaze directed toward heaven, I had the privilege of delighting in the work of His hands, overwhelmed by His greatness, while giving Him praise.

It is easy to be overwhelmed with other things – lesser things, in fact. I can be overwhelmed simply by looking at my schedule or my to-do lists. I can also feel discouraged as I deal with illness and dementia in the family. Some of my concerns are truly trivial, while others are obviously not. Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter, for God will always be GREATER than anything that confronts me. He is the only one who has the right to say “To whom will you compare me?” because the truth is there is none like Him. There is no one as loving, as wise, as gracious, as just, as merciful, as powerful, as steadfast, as faithful, as beautiful, as holy, as PERFECT. Sometimes all we need is to lift up our eyes and look beyond ourselves and our cares, to catch a much-needed glimpse of who He is.

As sinners saved by grace, it is but fitting to be awed by His greatness and to praise Him in response. This is how we are to live, always in reverence of Him. It’s never a waste of time to rave about our Savior. As families all over America prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, let us who call Him Lord give thanks for all that Christ is. We are ordinary people, but there is nothing ordinary, routine, or predictable about how He has loved us and how He has drawn us deeper and deeper into Himself. He whose power is such that not one of the heavenly hosts is missing – He is also the One who satisfies our greatest need. Isn’t He wonderful?

Today is much too windy and cold for a walk in the arboretum. But while inside my kitchen, I can still lift the eyes of my heart to the One, through whom and for whom all things were created (Col 1:16). To the One who filled the void of the universe and the void of our lives with no less than Himself, may He be exalted as we give thanks.

Awake my glory! Awake O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to you O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Be exalted O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! Psalm 57:8-11