A Little Bit Like God

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At a wedding I attended yesterday, one of the officiants raised a hand and said solemnly, "By the power invested in me by the Church and by the state of Ohio, I now pronounce you man and wife." 

Those words created a new marriage where there wasn't one a moment before. They took as little effort to speak as any other sentence, but they founded a new family.

I'm reminded of the words of Psalm 33:6, 8-9:

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. ... Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

There are very few times when a human says something, and just like that, it comes to be. Marriage is the only case that comes to mind for me, actually. Maybe you can think of more. 

In a marriage ceremony, there is a moment when a human's speech actually creates something. That's a rare moment. Creation is effortless for God, though, as effortless as speaking is for you. The marriage officiant reflects the effortless glory of God's creative ability. 

At the wedding, a pianist played with a deft touch. He made me think of God, too. By nature and by practice, the pianist had cultivated such a skill with his instrument that playing complex pieces was a breeze. He had only to think, and his fingers accomplished things mine haven't learned to do. That's like God too: He does things beyond my imagination with the ease of breathing.

God blesses humans with little portions of power like His. If the giver is like the gift (and they usually are, aren't they?), it seems like the musician's skill and the pastor's pronouncement reflect Someone generous, kind and wise.

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