Nothing Else Compares
I am smack dab in the middle of a typical Iowa winter. This means there is snow on the ground, it’s cold outside, and often windy. It’s actually been a pretty decent winter so far, but it’s still winter.
Last week I was able to spend time in California doing some ministry training. I learned so much during my time with some incredible people. Plus it was California in January which is incredible for this Midwesterner.
I would consider myself a person who goes at a fairly intense pace, so times where I can step away from my environment always seems to lead to breakthroughs. I remember someone telling me years ago that “sometimes we need time to just stare out the window.” That’s stuck with me - because during those times when I can “stare out the window” and think - are some of the best experiences I have with God.
When I’m on trips, I try to find a song that goes on repeat for the duration of my excursion. Hillsong’s Love So Great became that song during these days on the West Coast. As I drove north on I-5 after enjoying dinner with a friend in San Diego, these words struck me:
Your love so great
Jesus in all things
I've seen a glimpse of Your heart
A billion years
Still I'll be singing
How can I praise You enough?
How can I praise You enough?
Um. Well. I can’t. Ever. He’s so good. Deserves more than I can give. Yet in the midst of the rush and responsibility, I leave praise opportunities on the table. I hate missing opportunities in any realm, but the idea that I miss opportunities to praise Him in all things - really annoys me.
The next morning I got up ridiculously early - and few things make me get up that early - to head to the beach. As I watched the Pacific waves crash on the shore, these words stirred my heart:
You are the Lord Almighty
Outshining all the stars in glory
Your love is like the wildest ocean
Oh, nothing else compares
Outshining every star. His love is like the wildest ocean - and honestly incomparable. I just cannot grasp this, but it resonates with me - especially as I watch six foot waves crash onto the shore. What compares to the ocean? Few things are anything like the incredible sight of seemingly never ending water. What is like the bright shining stars? Almost nothing is like the billions of lights illuminated across the dark night sky. Yet God is greater than these things - and nothing can compare to Him. How often do I allow other things to take His place in my heart as if they could ever compare to Him?
That night our session was scheduled to end at 5:00 and the sun would set at 5:17. I was 12 minutes from the beach and determined. When we closed it up at 4:54, I was in the car driving by 4:56. I used my Chicago driving skills and made it to the ocean in time to see this incredible sight:
Here are the words that struck me as I watched this incredible sight:
Creation calls
All to the Savior
We are alive for Your praise
In earth and sky, no one is higher
Our God of wonders, You reign
Our God of wonders, You reign
As I stood there with dozens of people, watching this magnificent sight, creation was calling attention to His glory, to His greatness. Not one is above Him. He is worthy of this beauty and more. And He is in fact the God of wonders. I want Him to reign in my heart the way He reigns in creation.
As the week wrapped up, these words were on my heart:
Not to us, but to Your Name
We lift up all praise
May my heart reflect praise to Him, no matter the weather, no matter the season. May I not leave praise on the table, but instead seek out and seize opportunities to adore Him. It’s true now, and will be true forever, but may I be a person whose live screams out that in fact, nothing else compares.