"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAMSE HIS COUNSELOR? OR WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? For from Him and through Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen." Romans 11:33-36

How magnificent are those words of Paul! As Charles Spurgeon says in Morning and Evening about the last sentence in this passage: "this should be the single desire of the Christian." Is it?

As I look at the beautiful clouds blowing over my mountains this morning the colors are more the clearer because of the overcast sky. Even in November, our grass is as green as during the Spring because of the abundance of rain we've had. How can anyone doubt the existence of God? I would challenge them to stand on my back porch at just about any time of the year with the magnificence of the mountains against the clear NE Tennessee sky and the rolling hills and tell me that this 'evolved'. Is it not daily evidence for me that to God be the glory forever?

But, what about those things which are not so evident? Yes, Paul tells us in Romans 1 that in the face of overwhelming evidence about God man is without excuse for not believing. But, what about those 'other things'? Can I give God the glory when I hear the tragic story of a 5 year old girl who was recently sold into sexual slavery by her mother and found dead, her body abandoned by a roadside? Can I give God the glory when I see the moral decay eating away at the fibers of what once made this country great? Can I give God the glory when I see things close to home; even in my own family which grieve my heart? Can I give God the glory when I feel overwhelmed with the busyness of my life?

The answer to all these things must be yes. Yes, because I am not in control, but, because I know the One who is. Yes, because I know He grieves and I can never understand the depth of a grief that is based on seeing and knowing so much more than I could ever fathom. Yes, because I know that God is unchangeable and immutable; absolutely sovereign and just. Yes, because He remains on the throne; my Savior, Jesus, sits at His right hand, and I, according to Ephesians 1 and 2, even though once dead in my sins, have been raised up to sit at the right hand of God in Christ and through Christ. Because of all that, I can indeed give God the glory and join with Paul and say Amen and Amen!

Today...as you pause and reflect...can you? If not, please tell me. We can pray together that God will reach out and touch your heart; for salvation if you have never taken that step, or for healing and peace if you have.

May your day be blessed in the Lord.

Jan