All roads may lead to Rome, but the most dangerous road leads to Coroico, a terminal stop on Bolivia’s El Camino de la Muerte—the Road of Death. The road may be deadly, but it’s also spectacular. Clinging to the sides of the verdant, misty Andes Mountains, the sliver of highway slices through panoramic vistas and tiptoes along unforgiving drop-offs that descend into oblivion.
When my friend Terry lived in Coroico, he discovered a restaurant where a calendar was displayed with a scene familiar to him—a red barn amid a field of hay. Where Terry grew up such a view was commonplace. But in Coroico the locals raved about its magnificence. “It’s far more beautiful than anything here!” they insisted. We humans easily grow bored with the beauty that awaits us at every turn. Perhaps we could say the same about our attitude toward our mysterious, miracle producing God. We gaze right past His magnificence.
When the prophet Isaiah foretold the coming of Messiah, he used a remarkable set of titles: “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Just pleasant titles that are quoted at Christmas? Hardly. The implications found in those titles are infinitely profound.
The child born in Bethlehem is our Wonderful Counselor. The One crucified on a Roman cross is the Mighty God who alone will bring justice to our world. The Son given to us is somehow the Everlasting Father. The One whose “fist is still poised to strike” (Isaiah 9:17) is also the Prince of Peace. These are astonishing paradoxes.
Life’s road is often beautiful and often dangerous. That shouldn’t frighten us. It should give us ample motivation to praise our Creator God.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Luke 2:41-52
More:
Check out Psalm 136 for the songwriter’s take on some of God’s attributes.
Next:
What can you do to consider God’s attributes? Be creative. Take a walk in the forest or desert. Visit a run down neighborhood. Serve someone.
regina franklin on June 14, 2012 at 9:20 am
Dear Tim,
Your devotional reminds of of Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when the children ask Mr. Beaver if Aslan is safe. I have always been stirred by Mr. Beaver’s response that no He isn’t safe, “But He’s good.”. Today, as I was driving and thinking over some various situations, I was reminded again that the Cross was far from safe and yet it revealed the greatest beauty man has ever beheld. I don’t want to run from “cross-like” situations in my life in search of man-made safety.
ral on June 14, 2012 at 9:35 am
Devotional question: I am taking my family (wife and kids ages 9, 10, 11 on an out-west camping trip this summer. I would love to have some type of devotional with us that revolves around the theme of creation/nature. Does anyone know of any devotional that relates to this? Any info would be appreciated…..thanks.
tim gustafson on June 14, 2012 at 3:51 pm
Well, at RBC we have the Wonder of Creation blog. Check out this Website: http://rbc.org/author/wonder-of-creation/ Of course, if you’re in a remote area, you might not be connected.
I do like the book In Quietness and Confidence, by David Roper. That is available from Discovery House Publishing. It is not entirely about nature, but that is the general tone. It has helped me to sit still and be quiet, just reflecting on God — something I often struggle with.
daisymarygoldr on June 15, 2012 at 7:15 pm
You are absolutely right Tim Gustafson; there is nothing more tragic than to get bored with the beauty of our miracle producing God. Those who gaze right past His magnificence have never really experienced the awesomeness of God. And those who have encountered God’s infiniteness are rendered speechless by His breathlessly beautiful and fearful majesty.
We see God in Jesus Christ who revealed Himself to us in every book of the Bible. The paradox is due to the inability of finite to perceive the infinite. When we read God’s word, it is His very attributes that draws us to worship Him. No one will truly worship a God who does not leave them awestruck at His terrible majesty and power.
After witnessing a visible manifestation of God’s miraculous power that partitioned the Red Sea, Moses and the children of Israel sang “Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” (Exodus 15:11 NKJV).
God lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach Him (1Timothy 6:15-16). No one can see God and live. His presence indeed, is terrifying. The beauty of God’s holiness inspires fear because it is something we cannot comprehend. But then, since His wonder-working power is salvific, our fearful response results in praise.