It Defies the Imagination
Have you ever been to the Empire State Building in New York City? It is bigger than life itself. Before the completion of the World Trade Center, it was the highest building in the city, and at one time was the tallest building in the entire world. I have been there twice; once when I was about 12 years old and again recently. It is as awesome today as it was 50 years ago.
When I stand on the sidewalk in front of it and look upward. I can’t help but think of the Tower of Babel. It just has that effect on me, and if you have ever tried to communicate with a taxi driver in New York, you may think that God confused man’s language once again for trying to reach the heavens.
Before I made my first visit to the Empire State Building, my father had told me about it. You know, children can hear something described and in their minds they can always amplify it so that they are disappointed when they finally see the real thing. Not this time. It far exceeded any picture I had drawn in my childhood mind. Some things are just like that. For instance, as a young boy I could not imagine an expressway with twenty lanes of traffic. It was in California and, as you know, it is hard to imagine anything in California!
When I first saw a picture of a car driving through one of the giant Sequoia trees, I thought it wasmake believe. And my first visit to the Smithsonian Institute in D.C. revealed to me sights that a country boy just didn’t have the capacity to believe. There are some things that simply defy the imagination.
I remember a story I heard one time by Dr. Mark Rutland, President of Southeastern Bible College. He told of a trip to Africa on which he found himself close to Mt Kilimanjaro. He said that he never could have forgiven himself if he hadn’t made the effort to see this magnificent sight. So, while in Africa, he arranged for a guide and went to sleep anticipating a great outing the next morning.
However, when he awoke he was greeted by fog so intense that he could hardly see his hand in front of his face. He was assured by his guide that he would still be able to see the mountain. So with a mind full of doubts he climbed into the car and they sped off. Finally, the car slowed and pulled off the road. Now surrounded by deep forest the fog was even thicker. His guide told him not to worry, he would still be able to see the mountain, and led him into the woods. Mark was sure that there was a trail of some kind, but for the life of him, he never saw it. Following almost within arms length so as not to get lost, Mark blindly followed his guide until he stopped abruptly and said, “Here we are.” As Mark looked, it appeared that they were standing on the edge of a great sea of fog. His guide swept his arm, motioning for Mark to behold the great wonder that he had traveled half way across the world to see.
Not wanting to embarrass himself nor offend his guide, Mark stepped forward and with intense concentration peered into the fog looking for any sign of the great mountain. His body language was of one straining toward the finish line. Despite all his efforts, he just could not see the mountain across the expanse. Sensing that Mark was having difficulty seeing the snow capped peak directly in front of him, the guide stepped behind him, took his hands, placed them on either side of Mark’s head, and tilting his head severely upward said, “No, Pastor Mark. Not there, THERE!”
And towering above him, rising up out of the fog, overwhelming the landscape and brushing the bottom of the heavens, was one the most magnificent sights Mark had ever encountered-Mt. Kilimanjaro! It was bigger than life. It was beyond his wildest dreams. You just had to see it to believe it, and even then it defied the imagination.
The Empire State Building, giant Sequoias, Mt Kilimanjaro; these help to expand our minds so that we can begin to understand faith. Even then, faith is so much bigger than anything that man can imagine. It is faith that enables man to begin to understand God, and even then, we will never fully understand. There are some things in this world that are awe-inspiring. There are other things that defy reason, and there are some things that cause us to realize just how insignificant man really is.
Faith makes it possible for man to see what others cannot.
Faith also helps us to do things that others think impossible. How can a man speak to a blind person and he see? How can a man command a storm to be still? How can a man hear and know what God is speaking? It is only by faith. Such a valuable possession and yet it is a gift, free for the asking. It takes such a small amount of faith to do such great things.
If you read this and it makes a difference in your life, we do not ask that you send it to 10 of your acquaintances. We merely advise that you simply ask for this free gift. It will open new arenas of life for you and for others. Faith will enable you to see the mountain-and move it.
© Copyright 2005 by Paul Whitley. All rights reserved.
When I stand on the sidewalk in front of it and look upward. I can’t help but think of the Tower of Babel. It just has that effect on me, and if you have ever tried to communicate with a taxi driver in New York, you may think that God confused man’s language once again for trying to reach the heavens.
Before I made my first visit to the Empire State Building, my father had told me about it. You know, children can hear something described and in their minds they can always amplify it so that they are disappointed when they finally see the real thing. Not this time. It far exceeded any picture I had drawn in my childhood mind. Some things are just like that. For instance, as a young boy I could not imagine an expressway with twenty lanes of traffic. It was in California and, as you know, it is hard to imagine anything in California!
When I first saw a picture of a car driving through one of the giant Sequoia trees, I thought it wasmake believe. And my first visit to the Smithsonian Institute in D.C. revealed to me sights that a country boy just didn’t have the capacity to believe. There are some things that simply defy the imagination.
I remember a story I heard one time by Dr. Mark Rutland, President of Southeastern Bible College. He told of a trip to Africa on which he found himself close to Mt Kilimanjaro. He said that he never could have forgiven himself if he hadn’t made the effort to see this magnificent sight. So, while in Africa, he arranged for a guide and went to sleep anticipating a great outing the next morning.
However, when he awoke he was greeted by fog so intense that he could hardly see his hand in front of his face. He was assured by his guide that he would still be able to see the mountain. So with a mind full of doubts he climbed into the car and they sped off. Finally, the car slowed and pulled off the road. Now surrounded by deep forest the fog was even thicker. His guide told him not to worry, he would still be able to see the mountain, and led him into the woods. Mark was sure that there was a trail of some kind, but for the life of him, he never saw it. Following almost within arms length so as not to get lost, Mark blindly followed his guide until he stopped abruptly and said, “Here we are.” As Mark looked, it appeared that they were standing on the edge of a great sea of fog. His guide swept his arm, motioning for Mark to behold the great wonder that he had traveled half way across the world to see.
Not wanting to embarrass himself nor offend his guide, Mark stepped forward and with intense concentration peered into the fog looking for any sign of the great mountain. His body language was of one straining toward the finish line. Despite all his efforts, he just could not see the mountain across the expanse. Sensing that Mark was having difficulty seeing the snow capped peak directly in front of him, the guide stepped behind him, took his hands, placed them on either side of Mark’s head, and tilting his head severely upward said, “No, Pastor Mark. Not there, THERE!”
And towering above him, rising up out of the fog, overwhelming the landscape and brushing the bottom of the heavens, was one the most magnificent sights Mark had ever encountered-Mt. Kilimanjaro! It was bigger than life. It was beyond his wildest dreams. You just had to see it to believe it, and even then it defied the imagination.
The Empire State Building, giant Sequoias, Mt Kilimanjaro; these help to expand our minds so that we can begin to understand faith. Even then, faith is so much bigger than anything that man can imagine. It is faith that enables man to begin to understand God, and even then, we will never fully understand. There are some things in this world that are awe-inspiring. There are other things that defy reason, and there are some things that cause us to realize just how insignificant man really is.
Faith makes it possible for man to see what others cannot.
Faith also helps us to do things that others think impossible. How can a man speak to a blind person and he see? How can a man command a storm to be still? How can a man hear and know what God is speaking? It is only by faith. Such a valuable possession and yet it is a gift, free for the asking. It takes such a small amount of faith to do such great things.
If you read this and it makes a difference in your life, we do not ask that you send it to 10 of your acquaintances. We merely advise that you simply ask for this free gift. It will open new arenas of life for you and for others. Faith will enable you to see the mountain-and move it.
© Copyright 2005 by Paul Whitley. All rights reserved.
posted by GrandFather at 10:30 AM
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