Exodus 15, 7-8
Something to read
And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.
King James Version
In the greatness of your majesty you overthrew your adversaries; you sent out your fury, it consumed them like stubble. At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up, the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
New Revised Standard Version
Something to think about
Special effects are amazing: I still remember as a 10-year-old being wowed by the parting of the Red Sea in “The Ten Commandments.” Modern technology makes it even better: the weather effects in “The Day After Tomorrow” and the disaster effects in “2012” are incredible. They leave you feeling very small indeed.
Experiencing such things for real can be terrifying. The shifting of the ground beneath your feet in an earthquake, the howl of hurricane - force winds, the thunder of an eruption, all make us feel powerless in the face of unchained force.
But the biggest thing God did involved utter helplessness, first as a newborn, then as a broken body on a cross.
Something to do
Find a picture or a memory of something that has impressed you, made you feel really small - a sunset, a waterfall, a stormy sea, a Hubble picture of a galaxy or nebula. Consider the poer and majesty it reveals, and see the hand of God in it. Then find a picture of something very small - a flower, a fern leaf, a baby’s hand. Consider the perfection, the attention to detail it reveals, and see the hand of God in it.
Something to pray
Creator God, your cosmos is full of wonder and magnificence. I feel dwarfed by the sheer scale and power of your creation, aware that I could be lost in a blink and the universe wouldn’t even notice.
Yet even as the great movements wheel about me, and huge waves crash on a seashore, I see you in the small things, and hear again the still small voice that reassures me of your care and love - the universe might not notice, but you never take your eyes off me. I am held secure in your love.
Thank you, loving Father. Help me to walk with my hand in yours, to reach out to those who are lost in the chaos of their world, and draw them to you.
In the name of Jesus, our living Lord,
Amen
Today’s contributor is the Rev Tony Buglass, a Methodist minister, and Superintendent of the Upper Calder Circuit, made up of nine Methodist and one United Reformed Church, between Luddendenfoot and Walsden in the Hebden Bridge area