Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they can see my glory that you gave me because you loved me before the creation of the world. (John 17:24)
For years I heard Venice, Italy was the most romantic city in the world. Friends spewed about the gondolas, cathedrals, and blah, blah, blah. Their descriptions and pictures bored me.
Then one year we visited the famous “City of Light” for ourselves. Only when I floated on the canals, heard orchestral music bounce from the walls of an ancient church, and watched fireworks drape golden sparks over St. Mark’s Square did I realize how understated the descriptions had been.
Like my difficulty with Venice, I have a tough time gaining a full appreciation for all that Jesus is. The reason I live with doubt, fear, and conflict is because I underestimate the scope of his majesty. If I truly grasped his sufficiency to absolve sin, I wouldn’t worry about how others judge me. If I would fully see the glory God gave to Jesus after his trials, I would rest in what God is doing through my own trials.
Jesus existed before there was time. He currently holds everything together. He is Immanuel (God with us), and I Am (the name God gave himself), and Jesus (which means God saves). He is the Righteous Judge all men are destined to face, the Word of God, and the light in paradise.
But these encyclopedic facts on their own don’t make their way into my core. Only when I clutch his hand over the stony paths of life do I begin to grasp the breadth of Jesus. Faith is best lived experientially, not studied in others. And so it is in the press of today’s desperation that the facts about Jesus’s majesty will solidify in my heart.
Prayer: All glorious Jesus, may I know you firsthand in my present challenges.