"Our God is so good, so strong, so powerful. To see the mighty waters pouring over what would have been an amazing ravine that in itself would have been an awesome show of God's glory even without the billions of gallons of water... the 'mist' poured over the area like a perpetual monsoon -- creating small waterfalls in every crevice -- some going sideways and some even upwards because of the awesome force. And only in Africa could we see so much without 'safety barriers' and rails and mobs of tourists and commercialization. There were times when a single misplaced step could send you barrelling down into a gorge of swirling masses of water -- but so much of that was the very thrill of being there.....
... a semi-path led straight down to the 'boiling pot' -- down the gorge. When the path ended, there was nothing preventing further passage, so we waded through pools of water and climbed up and down over sharp rocks to get to the very bottom -- where the currents swirled in a tornado-like fashion from the immense power of the falls. At the very top of the waterfall, you could stand on rocks just feet from the edge -- almost unfathomable considering the immense height of the falls. Wow. Wow. Wow."
Now as many of you know, we lost our camera on the trip, and are just starting to get pictures from team members. Take a look at the picture below for the most awesome display of God's power (though this hardly does a justice to the real thing)...
but notice something else... As Dick snapped this picture, a tiny butterfly flew just feet from the camera -- landing smack dab at the top of this photo. The same God that sends billions of water barrelling over a giant gorge created this tiny yellow butterfly -- perfectly woven, completely delicate and graceful -- unthreatened by the powerful force behind it -- protected by its Creator.
"How great is God -- beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out. He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind. Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavillion?" Job 26:26-29
All things bright and beautiful -- all creatures great and small. Our God is mighty and no problem or hurdle is too big for him... but He is also gentle and full of grace -- and will comfort the inner places of our hearts. Such a comfort after all the need and injustice we saw, but all of the glorious ways God was at work among His people. Such a comfort coming back on such a high, yet losing my job, dealing with a flooded apartment and not really sure what His plan is for us right now as we look to go back to Zambia long term.
He is mighty. But those huge, powerful arms are also there to protect us, comfort us, and remind us of the beauty in the small things. Like the butterfly.
