“And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.” – Luke 5:26
When the circus comes to town, people flock to see the attractions. The trapeze artists, the lion tamers, the tightrope walkers! There’s so much to see! Anything that is beyond the ordinary draws people out of their homes because they don’t want to miss one single spectacular moment!
I once heard a preacher say that church attendance on Sunday nights and Wednesday evenings would be much higher if people really expected God to do something great. If they knew Jesus would be there, they would be sure to be in attendance. The truth is that Jesus is always at these services. He always does great and amazing things, but sometimes they’re missed because people aren’t there to see them.
In the Bible, people always made time to see Jesus whenever He came to their area. They had heard about His miraculous healings, His power over nature, and His teachings about God. “And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?” (Matthew 12:23) He was often so crowded, He had to find room to minister to the people who came. (Luke 5:1-3)
If you knew that God was going to do something amazing at the next Wednesday night prayer meeting, wouldn’t you do whatever you could to be there? I would. I wouldn’t want to miss it!
Well, God does do incredible things each time His people gather together. If you look for it, you’ll see it. If you’re not looking, you’ll miss it. If you expect God to do something amazing in your life, He will, but if you’re not expecting it, you may miss it completely.
Remember, our God is an awesome God. He works in the most mysterious of ways, yet in the most revealing. Just as an earthly parent takes joy in his or her children, so does God delight in His own, and He loves to bless them in amazing ways. “And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.” (Deuteronomy 7:13)
The next time you contemplate skipping a church service, ask yourself this. “Am I willing to miss an opportunity to see God do something amazing?” I’m not! I sure hope I see you there! “Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.” (Psalm 66:5) *Note: the word “terrible” means “awesome” in this verse.
Red can’t explain the beauty of a rose,
White can’t tell the magic in the air when it snows;
Marvelous can’t half convey the grace of the King,
The only word for grace is amazing.
There’s no other word for grace but amazing,
No other explanation will do;
Unmerited favor, the song that I sing
No other word for grace but amazing.
(from “No Other Word For Grace But Amazing” by Kirk Talley and Paul Ferrin)
“And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while they wondered every one at all things which Jesus did…” Luke 9:43
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When was the last time you saw God do something amazing?