Awakening Book Devotional By Matt BrownSample

"Can You Really Miss Something So Important"

In just the past few decades, archeologists have discovered one of the largest, most incredible digs in history, in China. Known as “The Terracotta Army,” this find was first unearthed in 1974 by local farmers who were digging a water well to the east of Xi’an in Shaanxi province, after two thousand years of being hidden underground.

Archeologists estimate that the three pits contain life-size figures of nine thousand soldiers, chariots, and horses, the majority of which are still being uncovered.

According to one historian, Chinese workers began assembling the Terracotta Army shortly after the first Emperor of China ascended to his throne, and its construction eventually involved nearly 750,000 workers.

This army had been created to be buried with the emperor, to protect him in his afterlife.

To put the number of workers in perspective, it took about 70,000 men to dig the Panama Canal, and less than 100,000 men to build the pyramids in Egypt.

There are a few parallels to our faith here:
• Xian, the name of the city where the dig is found is actually also an ancient, shortened term for the word Christian.
• The time period the Terracotta Army was built was around the same as when Jesus walked the earth.
• The Terracotta Army was one emperors attempt to secure himself in the afterlife, while Christ secured eternity once for all, for all who trust in him.
• God is doing so much in the Church, that we don’t know until we unearth it.

We humans miss big things all the time. We used to think the world was flat. The New York Times did not cover Orville & Wilbur Wright’s first flight. The list goes on.

This is true of spiritual realities too. The Bible shows us that even Jesus’ closest disciples missed the significance of many of his miracles and teachings.

We have to learn to assume that much more is happening in the Church around the world than we realize—many better, more exciting things; and then spend our lives looking to discover them. Our daily prayer could be to ask God to open our eyes to see His amazing truth, amazing ways, and amazing works.