Idou!

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

 --Psalm 19:1-4                                                      

                

My absolute favorite word in Koine Greek: Idou! (Behold!) 

Idou! Behold, the glory of the Lord! 

The seasons are changing, and the beauty of creation is hard to ignore. This time of year is my favorite. I am writing from Ohio, where the leaves are beginning to color and the air is taking on a definite chill; halfway around the world spring is on its way, with its own glorious colors and renewal of life. A year ago, I  left Ohio in the fall, only to arrive in Australia with the very early touches of spring. Amazing!

Look around you, it's everywhere! Behold the glory, the inimitable beauty and limitless imagination of our God.

The sun, brushing aside its cloudy blankets of grey and sleepily peeking through, offering shafts of silver at the altar of a new day.  

This time of year, it is easy to look "up there" and perceive God's presence in the heavens.

But idou! God is also in here, his presence is around us in the everyday.

Behold, the waterfall giggle of a child, laughing in the language of love.

Behold, the elderly couple, still deeply in love as they walk, hand-in-hand, treasuring their time together.

Behold, the sights and smells of the everyday, declaring that God is right here, dwelling among us.

Wonder on top of wonder.

The God who numbered the stars, called them each by name, also calls each of us by name, knows our every need, our every dream-- and has a plan for each of our lives that goes beyond all that!

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? 

Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8)

Behold, the amazing love of the Almighty. Idou-- grace beyond bounds, poured out on each of us, just because. Just because our heavenly Father loves us-- and is especially fond of you.