I Stand Amazed

“I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene…”

Jesus, the Nazarene. For thirty years, He wasn’t anything special – the son of simple carpenter, from a wide spot in the road - a tiny town called Nazareth. There was that scandal around His birth, but by the time the baby came, Joseph and Mary had gone for the census, and they did some traveling, and by the time they came back from Egypt, of all places, it was pretty much forgotten. Other than one incident at the temple when He was 12 – there was nothing at all extraordinary about Him. It really didn’t matter if a person sat or stood in His presence. When He started teaching, people wondered at His authority. He explained things in simple words that even uneducated people could understand. As a teacher, or rabbi, the proper response would be to sit at His feet and learn everything He could teach.

As His reputation grew, and He began healing people and raising people from the dead, it became obvious that He was so much more than a rabbi. He was connected directly to God, the Father. He WAS God the Father: the Lord of the Universe, and the King of Kings. Surely, the proper response here is to bow, or fall on my face before Him. Yet, with all the authority and power imaginable, He takes my hand and stands me up in His presence. He wipes the tears from my face, and He proclaims me worthy of His love.

“And wonder how he could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean.”

He loves me. He LOVES me. HE loves me! He loves ME! How is that possible? I’m so unworthy. I try so hard, and fail so miserably. HE LOVES ME! It is not about what I have done, or what I’m going to do. It is not about being worthy. It’s about how all-encompassing His love is. Even though He knows I will fail – that even on my absolute best day, I’m going to miss the mark, and still He loves me!

“He took my sins and my sorrows, he made them his very own; he bore the burden to Calvary, and suffered and died alone.”

I am the reason for Calvary. He loved me so very much, and wanted to fellowship with me to the point that He said, “I will pay the penalty. I will take what belongs to Teri, and she will not be liable for that any longer.” “Amazed” does not even begin to describe the feeling of gratitude: astonished, shocked, flabbergasted, dumbfounded, stunned – none of these words come close to what is in my heart.

"How marvelous! How wonderful! And my song shall ever be: How marvelous! How wonderful is my Savior’s love for me!” (Music and Lyrics by C.H. Gabriel, Public Domain)