5.8.2026 - Scott Elgersma

Friday, May 8, 2026

The Greatness of God

Revelation 21:1

As you enter your time with God today, take a moment to quiet your mind. Breathe this prayer: “Come, Lord Jesus, come. Fill me with your Spirit. Open my heart that you might share your words of life with me.”

We read today from Revelation 21:1. Read the passage now or at the end of this devotion. What does this passage teach us about the greatness of God?

Kristin and I recently took a vacation to Hawaii. We were excited about the trip and looking forward to good food, tropical hill-scapes, and relaxing on the beach. Frankly, Kristin was looking more forward to the beach and I was looking more forward to the food. 

Sadly, our trip did not turn out quite as planned. We saw in the forecast before our trip that rain was expected later in the week, but we did not anticipate what actually happened.

A “Kona Low” stalls a rain-making system over the ocean. That system can hover around for days and even weeks, bringing heavy rain and winds. Such a system parked north of the islands while we were there and did not move for the duration of our stay.

By the fourth day of our trip, we were sequestered in our condo hearing the wind blow and watching the rain come in waves off the ocean. In one hour, we received 3 inches of rain where we were and on one part of the island, from April 10-16, 62 INCHES of rain fell. That is just over 5 FEET of rain. Needless to say, while we enjoyed time together and found some good food, the sun enjoyment of our vacation was lacking and we hope to redo that trip in the future and get the sunshine that we hoped for.

Interestingly enough, that trip, while soggy, showed us some previously undiscovered beauty of creation. If there is a break in the clouds around sunset, which there was, the horizon is alight with the rain clouds in a way that we’d never seen before. Hills that were lush with greenery now had countless waterfalls dropping thousands of gallons down the hillside. Waves that were once beautiful in the soft rhythm of their beating on the sand became thunderous and awe inspiring as sometimes 10 feet of water crashed onshore. Hawaii always shows itself as stunningly beautiful. We simply saw its beauty in a different way.

Even in what we saw during our rain-swept stay, I’m struck by how the beauty of the islands is not the pinnacle of what God is creating. That beauty can be anticipated because it has yet to be seen.

“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.”

This portion of the book of Revelation introduces us to the wedding banquet that ushers in the end of things upon the return of Christ. If we read this chapter and to the end of the book, we are shown the beauty of what is to come, a new earth without the curse of sin (I’m going to assume no “Kona Lows”), the city of God arrayed in all its beauty, and the River of life flowing out of the Triune God’s presence. That sort of imagery to us should be staggering. We can try to capture in our thoughts what that may look like, but we must always understand that our imaginations will pale to the reality that we will one day be confronted with.

Our “forever home” in the presence of God is full of more beauty, grandeur, light, and life that anything than we have ever seen before.

So even in the moments when we watched the storms sweep over the waves and onto the beach of Maui, we were witnessing a minor squall compared to what will be. In the mountain greenery and the beauty of a thousand waterfalls, we saw a pale imitation of what God will show us in his day of days. In the sunsets that seem to paint the sky in every color that could be imagined, we will one day see the fulness of God’s color palette arrayed before us in beauty that will steal our every breath.

Our great God is not yet done showing us his greatness. Everything that we see that moves us to awe and worship is 2nd rate in what is to come. The majesty of even the greatest vista in all the universe will end up on the editing floor of our thoughts before the glory of his presence. 

Our God is truly great. Our full understanding of his greatness is yet to come.

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn his smile towards you and give you his peace.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

I love you all. Blessings.

Feel free to share this devotion with others.

To contact the author, please email: elgersma@therivercrc.com