I was struck by its enormity and the seemingly endless variations of the rock colors and shapes, the effects of the light and shadows, and the canyon walls. We've all heard that a picture is worth a thousand words. Yet despite all the photos I took, I knew that I could never capture the essence of such a grand work of art in a picture.
All we saw was part of one rim of the canyon as we walked around it, and we didn't have all day to linger at each place where we stopped for the view. But I could have sat in one spot for hours and still not have my fill of this rugged beauty. It is impossible to drink it all in!
Every place we stopped, the view was different. The shape of the rock formations, the slant of the cliff walls, the cracks and crevices of the canyon floor, the shifting shadows as the sun moved through the sky, even the vegetation and snow cover. Sometimes the change was subtle, other times it was dramatic. But it was always breathtaking!
As I marveled at all the varying sides and faces of the canyon, I remembered hearing somewhere that God is like a diamond. A diamond is multi-faceted; when it is cut, it has multiple sides and angles that catch and reflect the light in different ways. No two sides of a diamond are exactly the same. So it is, on a much grander scale, with God. In Isaiah 6:3, we are told that the angels in the throne room of God called out, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!" Again, in Revelation 4:8, we see four living creatures who surround God's throne and it says they are "...full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, 'Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!'" I have heard some commentary on this Scripture; first of all, that the word 'holy' spoken three times in succession means that one 'holy' is not enough. God is so glorious and pure and enormous that they must repeat the word for emphasis. Also, He is three in one, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Perhaps 'holy' is repeated once for each person of the Trinity. Each is a separate identity of God, and yet He is One. This is only the beginning of mysteries! The creatures full of eyes show us that there is so much to be seen of God, so many different angles and facets and displays of His character, that even if we should be covered in eyes and every eye be focused on Him day and night, we would not be able to discover all his wonders or take in everything that He is. The idea presented was that every time the creatures see a new "side" of God, they cry out in adoration of His holiness. God's holiness means that He is set apart, so completely different from anyone else, and perfect in all that He does. As these creatures are constantly beholding God, they are seeing new facets every second, if you will, and they cannot stop calling out. There is so much of God that the whole earth is filled with His glory and still cannot contain Him! One day all the redeemed will see Him face to face and dwell with Him for eternity, and I think that we too will spend all of eternity beholding God and crying out in awe at each new discovery of His person, and we will never come to the end of new discoveries!
It may be possible to explore every crack, crevice, and wall of the Grand Canyon. But this wonder of earth is only a tiny expression of the vastness of its Maker! Such glimpses of God's glory in creation call us to fall on our faces in fresh worship of the One who gives us breath and is continually revealing Himself to us, for life and eternity!
I love this last photo because it shows me how small I am next to the vastness of the Grand Canyon, and when I remember that my Heavenly Father is infinitely more vast, and that He gave His life for mine and loves me with an everlasting love, it brings indescribable peace. It is then that I realize He is worthy of my everything, and there is nothing else in heaven or on earth for me to fear.
"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39
by Kari
