A Display of God's Majesty
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
Growing up, I begged my dad to take me hunting, fishing, camping… anything I could do to get outdoors! If I wasn’t outside, I would even come home from school, plop on the couch and watch David Attenborough documentaries. I was infatuated by the idea of nature, and at the time, I couldn't tell you why. But I am confident this was God’s plan all along. Shortly after my new found obsession with the outdoors, I came to a saving faith in Jesus Christ as a young teenager.
While the Word of God was revealing its power and authority in my life, and shaping me into who I am today, there was a simultaneous reverence for nature that was developing in me.
Sitting in the woods with my back to a tree, I began to notice things I never had before. For instance, how a ten-ounce Woodpecker can ram his head into a tree 20 times per second, and not even get a headache! God equipped these little birds with a smaller brain than most birds and a spongy skull bone to protect them so that they may continue to forage for food as God intended.
Or, how a squirrel knows just the right amount of acorns to stash before an approaching winter. Or, how most flowers would fail to exist without the billions of insects that are perfectly designed to pollinate them and lead to new growth. Or, how the optimal time for deer to procreate is determined by the daily photoperiod (amount of sunlight). When the moon and stars align, our Creator’s wisdom is revealed in the way His creation intuitively knows they have a short period of time where new life can be created. Or, on a larger scale how Earth is the perfect distance from the Sun to sustain life. Any closer, we would melt, and any further, we would freeze. Or, on a molecular scale, how two gases can be combined in perfect proportion to create water, a life-giving substance required by all creation.
While the examples are endless, I am constantly in awe of the complexity of nature and the wondrous works of God displayed to us through His creation. Reading the Bible gives us a detailed picture of who God is, and admiring His creation does the same. God’s Word is constantly affirmed by His wondrous creativity in nature.
I can look back now with great thanks to God for my reverence and passion for nature that was placed on my heart at a young age. It truly helped me grasp tangible examples of His love, His power, His creativity, and His grace. I am often reminded of these precious qualities of God just at the right time when I need refreshment.
God’s word is perfect and so is His creation! Scripture and creation should be enjoyed hand in hand. Some of the times I feel closest to God are in moments when it is just me alone in nature, praising God for His work in my life, recognizing the beauty of His perfect creation, and for Him sustaining me and providing constant reminders of His grace.
Just as water sustains all life, let us remember that Christ is the source of the living water that sustains us. “For if anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink,” (John 7:37-39) that those who come to Him shall thirst no more. May we continue to recognize the majesty of God in all of the earth, and continue to admire His beautiful and perfect creation. God’s perfect design in creation, and how it sustains flourishing life is meant to point us to Jesus, as our true source of sustenance and beauty, so that we may flourish too.
“O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
Knowing that God’s word is fully sufficient, may we praise Him without ceasing for the endless display in His creation that reminds us of His Glory. The creatures on earth and the habitats that sustain them speak volumes to the love God has for His creation. But we too are fearfully and wonderfully made and should live in communion with nature just as we are to be in communion with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
God is present in all things, and we recognize nature as the manifestation of Him. May our eyes be trained to recognize God in the tiniest insects and in the tallest trees, to Him be the glory forever and ever.