Authentic Awe and Wonder
Oh, nature! Wow, what a gift our amazing Creator has given us! Who can behold such beauty, such splendor?
Every glimpse of heaven’s handiwork ministers to my heart. I simply cherish all of it: enormous and small mountains, the untamable oceans, and the lush forests. The sunsets, although silent, are as dramatic as a grand symphonic finale. My phone validates these sentiments, as it contains 800+ pictures of sunrises/sunsets, 1500+ of trees, 700+ of lakes and 900+ of different oceans. I’m constantly adding new photos. I can't help it– each day brings new beauty to enjoy.
Would you believe it excessive for someone to have 70 pictures of birds stored on a phone? Well, that describes my phone. The photos are mostly of unusual birds, the ones that allow a close up photo. It’s almost as if they recognize their own beauty and say, “come closer, and I'll strike a pose!” My phone storage expresses God's magnificent beauty. Scripture also has much to say about creation. It sings out dramatically, as there are countless verses highlighting the beauty God has created.
For me, the most profound scripture about nature is found in the closing chapters of the book of Job. Elihu, Job’s young friend, asks a series of questions urging Job to grasp the omniscience of God. It’s good for us to ponder these same questions. The book of Job ends with God asking Job some profound questions. Through these, God also challenges us to consider the mysteries of creation. The Lord does not give us actual answers, but these questions should leave us in awe and wonder of our God, the creator. Hopefully, they stir a deeper longing to know God more fully.
I have read the final chapters of Job more times than I could count. My spirit is pulled toward these questions whenever I’m searching for one of life’s answers or when circumstances just don't make sense. God has a way, through these verses, to calm my uncertainties.
Will you explore Job Chapter 38 with me?
Verses 4-5
Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?
Who marked off its dimensions?
These words remind me that no man can recall when or how the earth was formed. Therefore, I can never understand all that God has provided for myself and my family.
Verse 12
Have you ever given orders to the morning or shown the dawn it’s place?
In the darkness of night, we have no idea what beauty the sunrise will bring or the amount of light that may peek from behind the clouds. We do not know what our day holds, however God does.
Verse 16
Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep?
Only a few men have traveled to the deepest part of the ocean, and so much remains unknown about these seas. Many humans live in remote areas where only God knows about their daily lives, joys, and fears. We can be reassured He sees us.
Verse 22
Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail?
My friend, have you ever considered this thought or so many other similar questions?
Verse 32
Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the bear with its cubs?
Isn't this mind boggling? It sure is for me.
Verse 37
Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
One of my favorite activities is taking an outdoor yoga class, especially along the Toccoa River In North Georgia when the blue sky has a spattering of small clouds. When thinking that God can count the clouds as far as the sky reaches, it gives me great peace to trust he can handle every detail of my life.
Chapter 39
Verse 1
Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?
With all the advances of science, we are no more able to answer God’s questions than Job was thousands of years ago. We can’t explain the many forces and delicacies of nature any more than we can fully understand how wonderful and majestic our God is.
The New Testament also teaches us much about God’s creation and everything it contains. Romans 1:20 declares God's power and divinity is spoken through nature and with such clarity that even those who have not heard the gospel have no excuse. God’s power, sovereignty, and His amazing creativity is only slightly understood in and through His physical work. God uses trees in the Bible for many teaching lessons. Mathew 7:17 parallels good trees to good fruit and the opposite for bad trees. A gentle tongue is referred to as the tree of life in Proverbs 15:4. All of this is simply to say creation and its beauty contain deep spiritual meanings.
Years ago, I was prompted to examine my own heart’s love and admiration for the beauty in nature. So today, when admiring the outdoors and all its beauty, I respond by worshiping the Lord. The next time a sunset, with all its color and glow, takes your breath away or when you stand at the shore admiring the ocean’s beauty, sound, and even salty smells, remember the worship belongs to the Creator, God Himself. Give God all the applause. Nature’s complexity shows us how much greater the Lord is than we lowly humans.
Truth:
Our worship belongs to God alone, not just His creation.
Would you pray this with me?
Dear Father,
Thank you for your handiwork. We give you all the praise, honor, and glory for everything we see in nature. May we always remember our help comes from you, the maker of heaven and earth. Your creation is mind boggling, which tells us how amazing You truly are. We give You all the praise. In Jesus’s Name - AMEN
If this devotion has spoken to you, I would love to hear how by leaving a comment below or emailing me tracyarntzen@gmail.com.