I Am Not Ashamed!
To hike the Grand Canyon is a remarkable thrill. The world that sprawls out before you is unlike any other you will encounter on earth. To hike the Grand Canyon at sunset elevates that thrill to something akin to that which is reserved for fairy tales and wild imagination. This picture was taken from hilltop ruins just above the Cardenas and Unkar camping areas in the heart of the Grand Canyon. The clouds crept over the rim of the canyon which lay over 3000 feet above where we were standing. We had already climbed 1000 feet above the river and found ourselves amidst a display of beauty unmatched and unimaginable. We were but a blip in the massive landscape that stretched out before us leaving us awestruck and humbled.
Of course we were not the first to encounter such splendor and divine majesty. The ruins by which we stood represented and ancient people who long ago had made this place their home. The finger prints still recognizable in the mortar used to craft their home reminded us that once there were others who witnessed this array of colors long before we encountered them that day. We were but a small band of adventurers passing through where they had called home, made their livelihood, and raised their family.
It’s impossible not to wonder what these people had been like and whether or not they knew the God who had created them and brought them to this land of rugged beauty. Such thinking, in time, becomes an inward evaluation of our own heart. How well do we know Him who knit us together in His image, sustained us by His grace, and gave us such as moment at such a time as this?
God has chosen to make Himself known to His creation. Romans 1:19-20 says, “since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” God affirms His existence and His actions throughout history so that we can join the Apostle Paul in saying, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation of everyone who believes:” (Romans 1:16)
I AM NOT ASHAMED!
Prasieallujiah!
Jon
