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Jessica Horton: “How Great Thou Art”

Jessica Horton

How Great Thou Art: “Thy power throughout the universe displayed” (written by Stuart K. Hine, published 1949).

Melissa walked into the doctor’s office, clutching her purse tightly. Inside her bag were the typical clues of motherhood – a few toys, wipes, and a baggie of goldfish crackers. She considered eating a few, just to give her hands something to do, but then she changed her mind – suddenly afraid that she might be feeding her fear instead. After all, she’d been through this before. The odds were not in her favor. As the doctor turned the handle to the room, her ears began to ring and her heart began to race.

“Mrs. Nichols,” he said, “your tests are back and there is no cancer.”

God is all-powerful – omnipotent. He is the creator of the earth and has always existed.

As a kid, I used to lie awake at night, straining to know the unknowable truth of His ever-present nature. He just is.

Throughout the Bible, we’ve seen our all-powerful God do many great acts that we struggle to understand. One such incident that I often think about is the flood. He destroyed the earth to make it new because there was no good to be found, and it was in desperate need of a reset. Sound familiar?

But afterward, He did a strange thing. He sent a sign to let them know He would never destroy the earth again. Why did He do that? He certainly did not have to! The world is His to create and destroy as He sees fit, and we are in no position to criticize Him. But by sending this sign, I believe He showed that His great love and care are just as powerful as His wrath.

In this world, where our sins run rampant and nations are considered godless, it seems logical that God would destroy it in order to start again with a faithful few. After all, He’s done it before. The odds are not in our favor.

I believe God sent this sign because just like in Melissa’s story, we would continue living in fear and dread until He gave us assurance. There is no way that we could live the purposeful, joyful, free life God has created for us while we war against dread. Anyone who battles with anxiety can attest to this truth. I can’t pretend to know why God does all the things He does, but I do know this – He is all-powerful and all-knowing, and this same God loves us more than we could ever imagine.

God, It is astounding to me that I can call you by name and speak to You. It is even more amazing that You hear me when I call. Thank You for holding us in Your hand and caring for us in ways we cannot even comprehend. Amen.

Scriptures: Genesis 6:9-9:17 Job 26:7-14 Psalm 147:4-5 Hebrews 1:3 Isaiah 55:8-9

By Jessica Horton

Find out more about Jessica HERE on Facebook or HERE online.

Jessica Horton is a singer/songwriter from Columbus, MS. She was raised in classic country and gospel, and the soul and sound of these classics often find their way into her music. Her songs feature the acoustic guitar, dobro, mandolin, and other roots instruments. On stage, Jessica brings a live aspect to her show by playing guitar and including singable old-time hymns and gospel songs. Offstage, Jessica spends a lot of time with her husband, David and her church family. She serves as a worship leader and youth director at Shaeffer’s Chapel United Methodist Church in Columbus, MS… (for more click here.)