Great and Mighty is He

I don't know why it takes me so long to come back here and record what I have been thinking. I truthfully don't even know if anyone is reading. But as you can see if you do read this blog, occasionally I have a good and maybe even an inspirational thought. When I do I try to record that, simply because I enjoy writing and most of all I enjoy looking back at what the Lord has been teaching me.

I remember as a teenager going to camps and we would sing a chorus, I don't know if I remember all the words (those days get further and further behind me) but it went something like this "Great and Mighty is He: Great and Mighty is He: Great and mighty is the Lord our God; Great and Mighty is He" It was a fun song.

This week in our Mid-week service I was teaching on the Book of Isaiah. And I came across an idea that reminded me of that song. Most of us are pretty familiar with Isaiah, particularly at Christmas time as we read from Chapters 7 and 9. We are familiar with other chapters such as Isaiah's vision in chapter 6. Who hasn't memorized Isaiah 40 as a young person to remind us to be patient and wait on the Lord. Then at Easter is Isaiah 53.

I came to the realization this week that I am good at compartmentalizing my favorite passages of Scripture. That is to say, I am good at taking my favorites and separating them from the rest. For example: I love Isaiah's vision of God in chapter 6, remember " In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!" And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."(NKJ)

Isn't your mind just filled with awe at the thought of such a Holy and Powerful God. Here comes the song: Great and Mighty is He...

I also love Isaiah 53 remember: "He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; he was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.(NKJ)

Wow, what a savior. That Jesus would take our sin upon him. Here comes the song again: Great and Mighty is He...

Here we go and compartmentalize. Chapter 6 an amazing view of the Creator of the Universe. Chapter 53 an Amazing view of the savior. But wait let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Both of these chapters are from the same prophet. Both of these chapters speak of the same God.

Think about it the God of transcendent glory that Isaiah saw (that we all see) in chapter 6 -- the God who frightened him so much that he cried out. "... I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips." (6:5) -- the God whose Words shook the foundation of the Temple is the very same God who would one day be,

...despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces... (Isaiah 53:3a RSV)

...wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed... (Isaiah 53:5 RSV)

Wow, The Holy God of Chapter 6 is the Savior of Chapter 53!! Ready here it comes: Great and Might is He... Can you feel it? Are you singing it too!

As the old preachers used to say :"If that don't light your fire, your wood's wet"

As Steve Brown used to say at the close of his radio show in his deep Bass voice:

"You Think About That, Amen"


By His Grace and For His Glory,

Bro. Chad