Isn't That Amazing?

We live in a pretty amazing age.  We take for granted so many things that we could never even have done just a few years ago.  Recently, I had a couple of examples of this.

The Gettysburg church is going to have a concert around Valentine’s Day, and we were looking for a two-part version of the song “Scarborough Fair”.  Now, years ago we’d have had to make all kinds of calls.  We probably would’ve wound up calling every music store in the area, including ones in Sioux Falls and Rapid City, asking if they had a copy of that song arranged for two voices.  Today, I went to Google and searched under “Scarborough Fair two part sheet music”.  I had a printed copy of a song in about two minutes and would’ve had it even sooner if I hadn’t had to register at the website that offered it.  Not only that, it was offered for free.  Amazing.

The other thing is a tremendous thing for someone like me, who loves baseball.  I discovered that if you go to youtube.com and search for “classic baseball radio”, you can find literally hundreds of radio broadcasts of old games.  I’ve listened to some games from the 1968 World Series.  I’ve listened to a game from 1965 in the Astrodome when it was the first year of the first domed stadium.  As I write this, I’m listening to a Twins game from 1973 when Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, and Rod Carew were all playing for the Twins and Nolan Ryan was in his prime for the California Angels.  And again, it’s all free.  Amazing.

This is not intended as a criticism of the old days.  It’s also not intended to say that there aren’t problems here in the new days.  What I am saying, though, is that there are some pretty amazing things that are happening right now.  We should take some time to notice them and appreciate them.

And that’s true of the things God does, too.  We sometimes look at all the problems of the world and wonder what God’s doing.  But God is doing amazing things every day.  The sun came up this morning, didn’t it?  Could you make that happen?  God did.  God makes the earth keep turning and brings the heat and the cold and the snow and the rain and the sunshine.  But God is not just the God of nature.  Every day, God answers prayers and gives us help and courage and strength.  God gives us love and grace and mercy.  And if we believe in Jesus as our Savior, God gives us eternal life.  And again, it’s all free.  Amazing.

It may be a little late for New Year’s resolutions, but if you feel like making one, I’d suggest you resolve not to take the things God does for granted.  Take some time to notice and appreciate those things.  Be grateful and thank God for them.  Because they are all free, and they are all amazing.