PEOPLE WERE AMAZED BY JESUS (LUKE 4)
“I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder how he could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean.” These words from Charles Hutchinson Gabriel’s classic hymn “My Savior’s Love” have been sung and treasured for more than a century. When Gabriel first released this song in a 1905 hymnbook, it served as a reminder to the church of the deep love of God, His work through Christ, His presence in all circumstances, and their cause for celebration and amazement.
In all the rich truths of the five stanzas of this great hymn, the first line may be most striking: “I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene.” Why? Because it reminds us of the unfathomable reality that we are able to stand in the presence of God by no other means than God’s gracious work through Jesus. Paul reinforced this idea in his Acts 17 address at the Areopagus: “For in him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’” (Acts 17:28)
What causes you amazement? What brings a sense of awe? Are you guilty of being captivated by a sunset but being indifferent to the Savior? Are you left breathless by the miracle of new life, only to be largely unaware of the miracle of sustained life?
We rightly experience moments of wonder as we witness some of the incredible ways that God works in our lives; however, we often miss the everyday opportunities for amazement of the same degree.
This week, set your mind to remember that gift of God’s grace found in being able to stand in the presence of God because of the work of Christ applied to you. Take time to remember the gracious gift of God’s sustaining power in your life—keeping breath in your lungs, relationships in your life, and function to every other part of your being. Stand amazed in the presence of Jesus, who sustains your very life and has cast such incredible love on an undeserving sinner.
