Blaze of Glory

John 1:14: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Six weeks ago, I went to Birmingham to see my Dad who was in the hospital ICU in serious condition.  It was not a fun reason to go out of town, but during the four and a half hour trip, I could feel God’s presence in a special way. As only He can, God turned my gloomy road trip into a wonderful time of prayer, praise and worship and it all started with leaves.

When I left for Birmingham the leaves had not begun to turn in Mobile. Each fall, I relish seeing the leaves change colors, but living on the Gulf Coast, the autumn is not quite as spectacular as it is a little north from here. So as I traveled nearly 300 miles to see Dad, I enjoyed the strands of trees bejeweled in gold, red, crimson and plum. As I rounded curves in the road and saw more and more eye candy from God, the sight was enough to make me gasp. I may seem quaint but I love the splendor God put into nature and I think He likes it when we show our appreciation for His gifts, no matter how ordinary they may seem. Yet for me, there’s nothing ordinary about seeing the sun shining through gold and orange leaves making them look as if the tree has caught fire without being consumed by the flames. It reminds me of the burning bush Moses observed on Mt. Horeb.  

And that reminds me of God describing Himself to Moses as “I am.” He is the God who is with us; He is the God who sees; and He is the God of love. And on a lovely fall day, He quieted my spirit with His love and His presence. And then He did a miracle and Daddy went home less than a week later in much better health. Like John, I can say I have seen God’s glory, the glory of the one and only Son.