Awesome God – Rich Mullins and Michael W. Smith (1988)
How great is our God?
Nehemiah 1:5-7: 5 Then I said: “Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.”
Awesome God
When He rolls up His sleeves/He ain’t just putting on the ritz There’s thunder in His footsteps/And lightning in His fists The Lord wasn’t joking/When He kicked ’em out of Eden It wasn’t for no reason/That He shed His blood His return is very close/And so you better be believing that Our God is an awesome God/Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above/With wisdom, power, and love Our God is an awesome God/And when the sky was starless In the void of the night/(God is an awesome God) He spoke into the darkness/And created the light/(God is an awesome God) Judgment and wrath He poured out on Sodom/Mercy and grace He gave us at the cross
I hope that we have not/Too quickly forgotten that Our God is an awesome God
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38V8jnN1Kpw
Martin Luther said: “Pray as if everything depends on God, then work as if everything depends on you.” Nehemiah (445 B.C.E.) prayed both day and night for the sinful actions and complacency of the people of Israel. Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the king and his main job was to taste the king’s wine first to make sure it was not poisoned. It was a dangerous job! It also gave him intimate access to royalty, political standing and a place to live in the palace. Based on the reports Nehemiah heard in the palace he was concerned about what was happening to his countrymen in Jerusalem.
The report was that the survivors were in great trouble and disgrace, that the wall of Jerusalem was in shambles and that its gates had been burned with fire. They were living in ruins and they accepted it. Nehemiah understood that before you can ask God to rebuild, you must first become concerned about the problem. First, he admits admit his sin and then the sins of his people. Nehemiah boldly and persistently asks God to hear his prayer and confession of sin. He cries, fasts, and persists in prayer. Nehemiah knows that the captivity was due to the disobedience of the people but that God had promised He would bring them back to Jerusalem. Nehemiah is willing and ready to get involved! He asked God to use him at risk to his well-being and life.
Our God is an Awesome God because He loves us when we are in ruins, lost, anxious, helpless. Everyone experiences difficult times and unhappiness but the power of this praise hymn is that God is all-powerful, all-loving, and always ready to help us. As Nehemiah prayed to rebuild Jerusalem, we pray to rebuild our lives or the life of someone in need of help. Just turn to Jesus in prayer, pray boldly and pray consistently! ‘He gave us grace on the cross!”
Comments: hbitten@reverendluther.org
Bible 500 