Here For A Reason

I Stand Amazed

I STAND AMAZED

 

Words and Music by Del Downs

 

Verse 1

Wanna be with You, Where I belong

Wanna worship You, Sing You a brand new song

Wanna be taught by You, Learn right from wrong

Just want the Rock because I’m weak but You are strong

 

Chorus:

Lord You have perfect ways

New mercies all my days

I give You every praise

I stand amazed!

 

Verse 2:

It’s Your Word I’m needing, to distinctly hear

I just want You Jesus, help me to draw near

From Your straight and narrow, I never want to veer

Safe from every worry and every fear

 

Chorus:

Lord You have perfect ways

New mercies all my days

I give You every praise

I stand amazed!

 

Verse 3:

Open my eyes so, I may clearly see

Spiritual truth showing how I should be

Grant me discernment, to help set others free

Let my life reflect You eternally

 

Chorus:

Lord You have perfect ways

New mercies all my days

I give You every praise

I stand amazed!

 

Chorus 2:

Lord You have perfect ways

New mercies all our days

We give You every praise

And stand amazed, with our arms raised!

 

 

My Thoughts on ‘I Stand Amazed’

 

Del Downs

 

The word “amazed” means: “Astonished, confounded with fear, surprise, or wonder.” Just look at this list of synonyms: surprising, astounding, blindsiding, dumbfounding (also dumfounding), eye-opening, jarring, flabbergasting, jaw-dropping, jolting, shocking, startling, stunning, and stupefying.

 

Luke 4:31- 36 “Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority. Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!’ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be quiet, and come out of him!’ And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him. Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, ‘What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.’”

 

Luke 4 tells the story of Jesus teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum in Galilee. His teaching had such an impact, that the people used these words in an effort to describe what they had witnessed. There are two specific instances in particular that stood out. The first was in verse 32 when they were “astonished” by what He said and how He said it. His words had authority. They displayed His absolute power and authority to give orders, make decisions, and command obedience.

 

The second instance was verse 36 when they were “amazed” by the results. There was a demon-possessed man in their midst who didn't like Jesus and made no bones about saying so very loudly. Without lifting a finger, Jesus told the demon in the man to be quiet and come out of the guy. The people in the synagogue were very excited as they proclaimed that Jesus' words had so much authority and power, He commanded unclean spirits to come out and they watched them come out!

 

“Surprising, astounding, blindsiding, dumbfounding, eye-opening, flabbergasting, jarring, jaw-dropping, jolting, shocking, startling, stunning, stupefying”, none of these words were adequate to express how they felt after what they had witnessed. The people of Capernaum were there. They knew what they had seen. They knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus had the authority to say what He was saying and to accomplish what He accomplished.

 

I am just as convinced as the people of Capernaum. Why? In my own life, I personally witnessed a similarly “astonishing” demonstration of God’s amazing authority and power. On a flight to Nairobi, Kenya from London, as part of a mission’s team, I and two other team members were sitting in the middle of the plane when a gentlemen sitting directly in front of us had a heart attack. The entire cabin was in complete shock at what was happening right before our very eyes.

 

God is so good! It “just so happened” that there were two doctors on the plane. Both worked feverishly for a period of time, as soon as they became aware of the situation. I'm not sure how long, because time seemed to stand still. My team members and I grabbed hands and began to pray. After quite a while, the man died and both of the doctors agreed to stop trying to resuscitate him. They checked their watches and officially called his time of death. They covered his body and moved him out of the main cabin. Arrangements were made to have the body picked up as soon as we landed in Rome, our next stop.

 

When we landed however, we heard gasps of shock all over the plane. The man pronounced dead by not one, but two doctors, started moving under the sheet on the cart. All of the passengers were astonished as the man stood up and walked off that plane!

 

I know that some of you may have just decided to quit reading anything else I might write, but in exactly the same way as the people in the synagogue at Capernaum, I saw it with my own eyes. Believe me or not, no one will ever talk me out of what I saw. I am convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus not only had the authority and power to do it, I have incontrovertible evidence. He did it. He raised a man from the dead! This was not my “believing by faith” that Jesus could do something, I was an eyewitness! Once you trust Him for yourself and experience His reality (as opposed to just who others say He is), you will understand the depth of these words: “I Stand Amazed.”

 

 

My Thoughts on ‘I Stand Amazed’

 

David Harder

 

Luke 5:26 “And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, ‘We have seen strange things today!’”

 

There are many reasons we should stand amazed at what the Lord has done; from all creation around us to the fact that Jesus died for us, whether or not we have yet accepted that gift of salvation.

 

But sometimes He just amazes us with outright miracles. One such miracle occurred when a few of us from church went to help do some spring maintenance at a rural church camp nearby.

 

While the ladies worked on some landscaping projects the guys all went to remove the pool cover. It was an in-ground pool that had apparently leaked out some water over winter allowing the cover to sag and collect many gallons of water on top.

 

The pool was located on the side of a very gradual hill and the pump house was on the uphill side of the pool. In order to remove water from the top of the cover they had a pump at the side of the pool opposite the pump house that was drawing water off the cover and sending it down the hill. The cord to run the pump was a pair of extension cords that were connected just by looping the ends in a big knot and plugging them into each other. This cord draped over the pool and plugged in to a normal outlet in the pump house. The guys divided up with three on each side of the pool and we tugged on the cover and tried to work it to the end of the pool as the pump continued to remove water.

 

One of the guys helping had his high school son with him. This young man didn’t mind jumping into the waist-deep cold water to push on the middle of the cover that was straining under the weight of the water on top. Just as he was putting some effort into pushing the cover, the extension cord fell into the water beside him. This was not just a section of one of the cords, this was the tied together, plugged in connection. This was in no way water tight yet it did not short out nor did the pump quit running. He started to reach for the cord and I told him to just get out of the water. Once he did we unplugged the pump which had never stopped.

 

I told an electrician that attends church with us about this and he asked if the young man was okay. In reality, there was no reason the young man was not electrocuted except by miraculous protection from God.

 

It really shouldn’t take unexplainable miracles for us to stand amazed in the presence and wonder of God. Just look around at the simplest bush. The amazing structure of the branches, leaves and any blooms or berries should leave you in awe of the creator. Add to that the insects living in and visiting the bush and any birds that use it for nesting areas or just to perch upon its branches. All of this should open your eyes to more of God’s wonders. That’s just one small bush on a planet full of the Creator’s art. The old saying about stopping to smell the roses certainly applies in this high-speed world we live in today. We rush right by so...