How Great Thou Art.
We sang “How Great Thou Art” in a recent worship service. It’s a great hymn. But what if my thoughts don’t reflect “How Great Thou Art”?
First, it is paramount to just state the spiritual truth: we all are in a place where we don’t fully realize how great Jesus is and how great and full the good news of Jesus is. Our whole life as a Christian is a gradual building up of that understanding through his Word and the Spirit. Here are some steps for that journey:
Repent for not being enthralled by Jesus. Repentance is acknowledging where you are currently at and that you want to be at a different place in your journey of faith.
Seek to better understand how great Jesus is by looking deeply into his brilliance, at his power, at his love, etc.
Pick a passage of Scriptures (ex: John 3:16, Romans 8:1, John 3:17, Luke 19:10)
Unpack what the good news is from that passage. Ask the question: “What makes this good news?” Then chew on it, contemplate it, pray about it.
Do it daily. Try this out every day for a week and see what it does for you. I know that it lifts my spirits and brings me closer to the real Jesus—but it does take effort and it does take devoted time.
I know this might be an unusual exercise for most of us—it’s not a part of the typical catechism curriculum. But this faith of ours is most unusual; it is formed on trusting and knowing him who died in our place. I want to know what sped through Jesus’ brain as he made momentous decisions to keep living perfectly while temptations flew around him daily—so that my record would be complete. I must see this Jesus who lived and died for me.
God bless you as you try this out for yourself.
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. // Ephesians 3:16-19
Blessings to you,
Pastor Al