Simply Amazed

There are a few epic reasons why one would travel to Chino: Flo's Cafe, the Chino Prison, and the annual Chino Airshow. I have been to 2 of those 3 recently. At the 2010 version of the airshow, my dad, brother, and a friend and I enjoyed watching both older & newer planes fly for several hours.

Now, people enjoyed the Airshow for various reasons. Some enjoy the history, some enjoy the physics & science of flight, and some simply enjoy watching cool planes bank over a semi-redneck crowd. My dad is a lifelong employee in the aerospace industry, working for Rockwell (company that designed the Space Shuttle) and Boeing (maybe you've heard of them). He was intrigued by the physics & design of the planes flying. He enjoyed the physics, propulsion, drag, loads, and a bunch of other words that you & I don't care about. I, for one, did not care much for the specifics of the physics. I simply enjoyed getting buzzed by an F-16 or watching the massive C-17 steeply bank over the crowd. I didn't understand everything that went into those planes, but it did not limit my amazement and enjoyment of them.

I find that we can enjoy God and his word for these 2 different reasons as well. Sometimes, we enjoy the truth of his word by digging deep, studying hard, parsing verbs, or reading books written by dead people so we can understand the depth & specificity of the theology contained in passages and books of God's Word. I studied deep and hard throughout my undergrad program, and enjoyed what I learned from digging deep. This is the way my dad enjoyed the Airshow- by understanding and appreciating the physics, science, and bla bla bla, that goes in to flying large airplanes at great speeds.

However, there are also times when we may not dig deep, we may not study hard, but we can see the simple truth of God's word, and though we do not understand it in its entirety, we still stand in amazed worship. (This is the way I enjoyed the Chino Airshow.) Let me give an example. I recently taught on Psalm 18, and came across this verse: "God rescued me, because he delighted in me." David talks about how God rescued him from his many enemies (most notably Saul) on his ascension to the throne as God's chosen King of Israel. And there is enough scriptural support to say that this is how God delivers and treats all his children as well- "He rescues us [from sin, from hell, from trial & temptation], because he delights in us." It amazes me that a holy God can look at a wretchedly sinful mann like myself (and like David the adulterer & murderer) and "delight in me." That is truly a love that is too amazing to explain. Much like a jet going Mach 2, I don't understand the depths or all the implications of the love of God "which surpasses knowledge." But I can still stand simply amazed.