Sometimes I just need to be amazed.
I get bored easy…and this affects every area of my life. I don’t relax well, I jump from one project to another, I read three books at one time, and I require lots of spontaneous adventure.
Fortunately, I serve a God who totally delivers on my need to be constantly amazed and astonished.
So for you fellow mommies out there who all too often get bogged down in chore repetition and knowing exactly what you will be doing at 11:00 every day for the next three years…here is some spice for your life.
We serve a God who is…well, neat! He is incredible, and has done truly incredible things! I love reading through verses that give me a glimpse into His power, creativity, and majesty.
Enjoy, and soak it up!
Verses From God’s Word That Will Truly Amaze You
1. Genesis 9:11-13 “’I establish My covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.’ And God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the sky, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth’…God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.’”
Nature alone can prove and display the grace of God. God’s promise to Noah to never destroy the earth with water again was accompanied by a visible sign…a bow. Notice I didn’t say “rainbow.”
The rainbow that God placed in the sky was actually a representation of a war bow, as in bow and arrow. This bow, however, (and all other rainbows for the rest of history) was pointing AWAY from the earth. God was not on a warpath…he had declared peace between Himself and His creation.
But notice that God did not set His bow in the sky until after Noah had sacrificed a burnt offering. Blood had to be shed in order for God’s wrath to be quenched and peace to be formally declared. What a picture of the coming permanent sacrifice that Christ would be, as the war bow is now pointed straight into the heart of Heaven!
2. Daniel 3:19-25 “Then Nebuchadnezzer was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He ordered the furnace heated seven times more than it was usually heated. And he ordered some of the mighty men of his army to bind them and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace. Because the furnace overheated, the glame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these men fell bound into the burning fiery furnace. The the king was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, ‘Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?’ They answered, ‘True, O king.’ He answered and said, ‘But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.’”
The king, in his rage, ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be bound and thrown into a furnace. Sounds absolutely terrifying. They refused to bow down and worship false gods, and for their disobedience they would pay with their lives.
However, once they were thrown in, the king noticed that they would not burn. In fact, they were walking around in the fire! And even more startling to the king was the appearance of an additional person…Christ Himself!
And here is my favorite part of the story…the part that makes my heart stop a little bit. Some burning did go on in that furnace. The ropes that bound the three men were the only thing that burned. And what is more…they had to be thrown into the furnace in order for their bonds to be broken.
What a beautiful picture…sometimes it is the very fiery trial itself that frees us from our bondage. God always knows what He is doing.
3. John 18:3-6 “So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to Him, came forward and said to them, ‘Whom do you seek?’ They answered Him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I AM He.’ When Jesus said, ‘I AM He,’ they drew back and fell to the ground.”
First of all, I just want to say that this is one of my favorite portions of Scripture in all of the Bible.
When Jesus replied, “I Am He,” (remember, I AM is His Old Testament name), the mere mention of His name caused His enemies’ knees to buckle. The power of His name caused them to fall to the ground.
It was not their heart responding in humility, however; their physical bodies recognized the God of the universe even though their heart did not. The tendons and muscles in their legs and knees had more sense than their hearts and minds.
And what is even more astounding is that these same men whose bodies were forced to bow at the name of Jesus, these same men still felt confident enough to arrest and execute Him! They had been given one final, drastic chance to recognize Jesus as who He was and it was not even recognized. They heard His Name, their bodies made them bow, yet their hearts remained cold. What a picture of who we are if Jesus doesn’t choose to change us.
Please share more with me! Are there any verses that particularly astonish you? I would love to hear!
“Header” photo by: Moyan Brenn
