I’ve enjoyed spending the past week in Queenstown for some downtime and rest. While the itinerary was packed with activity (to keep young kids occupied) there were many moments to catch my breath – or should I say have my breath taken.
Queenstown is nestled among some marvellous geological features: The Remarkables, so named because of their jagged peaks and edges. In my opinion, the remarkable thing about them is that they sit so close to the water, Lake Wakatipu, creating an unfamiliar dream-like landscape. Peter Jackson sought to capture something of this in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but being there in person is something else.
I spent the week constantly having my breath caught by their size and sheer beauty. Each day, driving towards our accommodation from some man-made entertainment required turns that brought an immediate gasp-inducing view.
In the middle of the busyness of holidays with young children – which every parent knows requires a fair amount of planning and effort to keep them occupied – I had these repeated and little moments of awe.
On these regular drives, I half-day dreamed about what it would be like to live in this amazing place, and a question surfaced in my mind: would my sense of awe at this incredible scenery fade over time, with familiarity, or simply because of my sinful heart takes things for granted so quickly and easily?
It most likely would.
I suspect we’d all be in that same boat as well. Because we’ve all got the same sorts of hearts – hearts that have the great capacity to experience joy and awe, and yet hearts that are broken, with limited capacity, and rebellious. I know this not because I know everyone’s hearts and have seen your spiritual MRIs, but because of what the scriptures say:
Jeremiah 17:9
[9] The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
By my efforts alone, I would fall. Jeremiah’s diagnosis rings true – and no matter how often I’ve been deceived by my own heart in the past (by how frequently I’ve gotten things wrong, assumed wrongly, made poor judgements or otherwise led with selfish desires), I keep being led by it. I couldn’t hope or promise I’d never lose awe of The Remarkables.
Hosea 6:4
[4] What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?
What shall I do with you, O Judah?
Your love is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that goes early away.
New Zealand is also known as ‘The Land of the Long White Cloud’. These long, thin, and wide bands of clouds hugging the sides of the mountainous terrain. It was a familiar view in our short time there. But like God’s Word to Israel, those clouds wouldn’t last long – like the love of God’s people towards Yahweh. And let’s be honest, this description fits our own hearts so well, too, right? Like the morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away – here one minute, gone the next. My affections and awe wane just as quickly.
Psalm 78:32
[32] In spite of all this, they still sinned;
despite his wonders, they did not believe.
The glories of creation are overshadowed by the glories of God’s miracles and work for his people. In Psalm 78, the psalmist walks through some of the wonders of God’s saving work for Israel – in particular, the events of the Exodus and his provision for his people in the wilderness. Yet even though God has shown these wonders, his people would turn away and grow indifferent.
The Remarkables are utterly glorious. Perhaps matched by my heart’s ability to grow indifferent to them.
Sitting beneath this mountain range, I began to wonder anew – if my heart could grow cold towards this creation’s beauty, then it makes sense why my heart grows cold towards the wonders and majesty of God.
Ever find yourself despairing – even if articulated in the slight sound of a whimper – that our hearts are like this towards God?
What should I do? Part of the answer to that is to acknowledge that I can’t do much! The broken and rebellious heart is so central to our thoughts and desires that it makes our ability to change ourselves impossible.
We must lean all our weight on His grace, trust his promises, and constantly encourage each other to do likewise. As a weak person, I need God to catch and hold me, which makes me want to encourage others to do the same.
I want to trust the following promises in God’s Word:
Psalm 16:11
[11] You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
What a wonderful thing it is that God reveals the path of life. Hope begins with revelation! We are then invited to experience the fullness of joy in his presence. Where before it was housed in an inaccessible temple, the Spirit is now God’s ongoing presence with us. Knowing and trusting Jesus, being gifted with the Spirit, we constantly taste his joy. In the future, the fullness of that joy will be ready to be enjoyed in the unhindered presence of God. And that precious promise to believe and hold onto: at his right hand are pleasures forevermore. Pleasures forevermore – pleasures that cannot and will not fade.
Revelation 4:8
[8] And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, 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!”
Maybe it’s just me, but I noticed recently that the four living creatures – with their fantastic description – are praising God ceaselessly, not because they are built with the ability to do that, but because of who God is. It’s the infinitely glorious presence that can compel eternal, joyful praise. When the heart is freed from the chains of sin that weigh us down, and when our eyes are confronted with the glorious One, we will never lose heart or awe.
Revelation 22:3–5
[3] No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. [4] They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. [5] And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Here’s the final picture of eternity. Of joy, light, and, in particular, unending amazement at His glory.
The most remarkable thing about the gospel is that God has done everything to ensure His children will never lose their awe and wonder. In our powerlessness to help ourselves, he has shone his light, moved His Spirit in us, caught us from falling and empowers our ongoing trust in Him and his promises.
As we flew off from Queenstown on Saturday afternoon, I was left with a powerful and lingering feeling: I wanted to return. Not just to New Zealand (though it is a majestical place). But I want to return to that sense of awe when faced with The Remarkables. I’d love to recapture that again.
But most of all, I’d love never to lose that sense of wonder.
I’m thankful that sense of wonder will never be lost in eternity. Not only will we be perfected, but we’ll be in the presence of infinite perfection. Every corner, angle, and detail of God will delight us. Eternally.
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