Daily Devotional for Small Group Discussion: From on High
Discussion Questions
1. Do you remember the first time you saw a picture of the earth from space? What did it make you feel? Go Google one of these pictures; what does it make you think of now?
2. Does having a God’s-eye view make you think of humanity as more significant or less significant? More precious or less precious? What do you think, in God’s heart, might be the relationship of significance (or size) and preciousness?
3. What ways do you have for achieving the “right” perspective in your head? In your heart?
Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth? – Psalm 113:5-6 (NRSV)
First we peered into outer space. Then we floated spaceward in balloons, then we flew in planes, then we rocketed in ships. At each step, we wondered: will we find the abode of God now?
In time, we learned that if God has a throne, it’s not in the sky—or at least it’s so deep in the sky that we haven’t yet gotten anywhere near it. The disillusionment is the price we paid for something important: perspective. The sight of the Blue Marble opened wide the aperture of our perception. We realized that most of us had spent our lives inside a dot in a pointillist painting. And now, though we could still only see a corner of the whole, there was no denying that the picture was bigger than most of us had ever imagined.
In this sense, though we never found the divine throne room, we did penetrate God’s place in the universe. For surely, if God is anything, God is the one who views things in their proper proportion and relation, their right size and orientation. God’s the one with perspective.
Having a God’s-eye view is probably a necessary first step toward becoming what God wants us to be. But even after heading to the stars, the next step for the Christian is exactly what the next step always is for those seeking to get nearer to God’s throne: to not only see with God’s perspective, but to love with God’s heart as well.
Prayer
Teach me to perceive as you perceive, O God, then teach me to love as you love, pixel and picture together.
About the AuthorQuinn G. Caldwell is a father, husband, homesteader and preacher living in rural upstate New York. His most recent book is a series of daily reflections for Advent and Christmas called All I Really Want: Readings for a Modern Christmas. Learn more about it and find him on Facebook at Quinn G. Caldwell.