Glimpses of God’s greatness
“We were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16b)
Sunday, the Christian Church observed Transfiguration, that spectacular event when several of Jesus’ disciples caught an indirect glimpse of Jesus in all his glory. The reason Christians observe this event at this time is to remind us God’s full power and glory is still active and working even when we see it seemingly hidden for the next 6 weeks as we focus on Jesus’ suffering and death in the season of Lent.Our verse for this week comes from the pen of one of the disciples who was present at the Transfiguration, Peter. He simply tells us, “We were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” The Transfiguration is one of those Bible events about which people sometimes say, “I wish I could have been there.”
While only three of Jesus’ disciples can say they were at the Transfiguration, each of us can say that we have been eyewitnesses of God’s majesty. It may not happen in a dramatic event on a mountain with Old Testament Biblical figures present, but still today we can see and witness God’s majesty on display and in action.
When you look at how things in our world (sun, moon, stars and seasons) go on even when we pay no attention to them, that is a powerful demonstration to us of God working his majesty in our midst. When day after day our almighty God looks down on and blesses us as sinful human beings in spite of our sinfulness and repeated sinning, that is a comforting and loving demonstration of God’s majesty. Sometimes all we think of is the destructive force of weather and winds, but think how often that same weather and those winds gives us pleasant and enjoyable times; that is a reassuring demonstration to us of God’s majesty.
Look at the world around you and at the way you are sustained and supported in life, and you can see how we can say along with Peter, James and John: “We were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”
So often, our tone and train of thought is negative and demeaning. Instead of focusing on what has or is going wrong, let’s look at how blessed and privileged we are to being able to see God’s majesty on display in our lives and in the world around us!