Seeing Creation

In Psalm 104 the Psalmist declares “How many are your works, O Lord!  In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” (v. 24)  Elsewhere in this psalm the biblical writer mentions a number of creatures.  He refers to “wild donkeys,”  “birds of the air,”  “the cattle,” “the stork,”  “wild goats,” “the coneys,” “the beasts of the forest,” “lions,” and “leviathan.”  He also mentions other aspects of God’s Creation: the clouds, the wind, the mountains, springs, grass, trees, the moon, the sun, the forest, and the sea.  Without a doubt, the Psalmist recognized all of Creation to be God’s wonderful handiwork and a manifestation of His wisdom.  God’s Creation is seen as a reason for joyful praise.

I find the many references in Psalm 104 to different parts of Creation to be interesting.  It is obvious this writer was a student of nature and an astute observer of the world around him.  The Psalmist was overwhelmed by the wonder and vastness of God’s works.  What he didn’t realize when he wrote these words was that what he had observed was just a “drop in the bucket.”  He could only write about what he had seen in what we call the Middle East.  If he was overwhelmed by what he saw in his own small part of the world, just imagine what he would have thought if he could have known about all the other creatures and wonders of God’s Creation he could not see or know about.

Recently I purchased a copy of Smithsonian Natural History: The Ultimate Visual Guide to Everything on Earth.  In this large 648 page book the editors seek to introduce the reader to “everything on Earth—from rocks to redwoods, microbes to mammals.”  The book features over 5,000 beautiful illustrations and photographs.  It truly is a feast for the eyes and contains a wealth of information.  The price of the book is a bit steep, $50, but I discovered you can purchase it on Amazon.com for almost half of that.  It is a book I highly recommend to all lovers of nature.

If you purchase the book or check it out at the library I’m certain you will find yourself saying with the Psalmist, “How many are your works, O Lord!”  I have been blessed to do a good bit of traveling in my life and have certainly seen a lot, but this book has reminded me that like the Psalmist, what I have seen is only a drop in the bucket.  Being made aware of the vastness and variety of God’s Creation I stand in awe of the Creator and join the Psalmist in offering my joyful praise to Him.  Our God truly is an awesome God!  Just look around you…

–Chuck

(I photographed the Olympic marmot at Olympic National Park, the chukar at Haleakala National Park, and the butterfly and milkweed at Shenandoah National Park.)

This past Christmas I gave my lifelong friend and avid fisherman, Mark Dycus, a t-shirt with a fish and ruler on it.  Beneath these were the words “Size Matters.”  When it comes to fishermen and their catches I guess size probably does matter.  I get the impression, however, that we have developed into a society where size means far too much.  People spend a lot of money so they can have the biggest house, the biggest car, the biggest boat, the biggest whatever.  Others look to the size of their paycheck, the size of their wardrobe, or the size of their jewelry to validate their value.  In so many areas the world screams “size matters!”

I think in Creation God has lots of reminders that big is not always better.  Some of God’s most beautiful creations are quite small.  There are gorgeous flowers and insects so small you almost need a magnifying glass to see them.  Are they of less value because they are tiny?  I hardly think so.  I happen to enjoy photographing large landscapes but there is also great beauty in smaller, more intimate landscapes.  Size does not always matter.

When I was working on my Kentucky book a few years ago I visited Short Creek a couple of times.  Short Creek, located near Somerset, Kentucky, is thought by some to be the shortest creek in the world.  The creek’s water emerges from one cave and travels only a short distance before it disappears into another cave.  You can easily throw a rock from one cave to the other, the creek is that short.  Still, both the water of the creek and the cave into which it flows are quite beautiful.  You can see that in the pictures I’ve included here.

A person reading a travel guide noticing the size of Short Creek might choose to bypass it for one of Kentucky’s bigger creeks, rivers or lakes.  If they did, they would miss something special.  The same thing can happen to us when it comes to viewing God’s Creation.  We may choose to bypass that which is small for something larger and more “significant” and, in the process, miss something truly beautiful and special.  I’d suggest we all be more careful about overlooking the little things and places God has made.

This lesson from nature certainly applies to people as well.  Many of God’s special saints have been small, either in physical stature or influence.  Just because a person doesn’t have size in ways the world considers valuable doesn’t mean he or she is not beautiful and incredibly valuable.  When Samuel went looking for a king to replace Saul God told him to go to the house of Jesse to find him.  When Samuel saw Jesse’s oldest son he was confident that this must be the one God had in mind but God said to him, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.  The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at outward appearances, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)  When Jesus’ disciples tried to get a group of children gathered around him to leave he scolded them saying, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14)

Since both of God’s books, Creation and the Bible, teach us that size doesn’t always matter, perhaps it is time we started acting like it.  What do you think?

–Chuck

 There are quite a few different types of psalms found in the Book of Psalms.  Interestingly, the largest number of psalms are laments.  Other types include psalms of trust, psalms of thanksgiving, and hymns.  Still yet another type is royal or enthronement psalms.  This latter type exalts God as King and emphasizes His rule over both humans and Creation.  The psalms that fall in this category are Psalms 47, 93, 96, 97, 98 and 99.  Scholars believe that this collection was used periodically to remind Israel that Yahweh was the King of kings and the Ruler of the universe.

If you take a look at these six psalms you’ll discover that there are lots of references to the earth.  In Psalm 47 the Psalmist twice refers to God as the “great king over all the earth.”  It is clear that one of the primary reasons Israel viewed God as King was their recognition that He was the Creator of earth.  They believed that it was Yahweh who “firmly established” the earth and because of this “it cannot be moved.” (Ps. 93:1; 96:10)  The One who created the world also ruled or reigned over it.

God’s reign was seen as cause for the earth to “sing to the Lord a new song” and to “praise his name.”  More than once in these psalms the earth is told to “be glad.”  In four of the royal psalms the seas are mentioned and they are said to offer God praise.  In Psalm 96 the fields and all found in them are exhorted to be “jubilant.”  This, the Psalmist says, will lead “all the trees of the forest“ to sing for joy.  In Psalm 98 the rivers are told to “clap their hands” and the mountains are urged to “sing before the Lord.” 

All of this may sound strange or fanciful to modern ears but we would be wise not to dismiss such language too easily.  By affirming that God was the Creator of the world the Israelites declared that He was greater than “all the gods of the nations.”  They saw in His Creation, and in His mighty acts of deliverance, Yahweh’s supremacy.  They could only conclude that He was the King of kings and deserved all of the praise both Creation and humankind could give Him.  Knowing that God ruled over all they understood that there was cause for joy and gladness for both Creation and humankind.

If we affirm that God is “the Maker of heaven and earth” then we, too, must understand that this truly does make Him King.  As such He deserves our worship, devotion and praise.  It would appear that those who wrote the biblical psalms saw in Creation a perpetual reminder of God’s sovereignty.  If we would condition ourselves to do the same, perhaps we would find ourselves singing and shouting and praising the eternal King of kings and Lord of lords with Creation more often.  I suspect that would, in turn, bring great delight to the King.

–Chuck

(I took the top image at Mt. Rainier National Park and the bottom one at Acadia National Park.)

Can enjoying nature help lead one to be holy?  Perhaps so.  In his book, Consider the Lilies, T. M. Moore makes the argument that since Creation is a form of revelation like the Scriptures then it must have as one of its divine purposes our sanctification.  He explains it this way: “If we are daily more and more conscious of the presence of the Lord around us, and enthralled with the revelation of His glory and grandeur, we will be less inclined to follow those paths that we know to be displeasing to Him.” 

Moore goes on to use God pointing out the many marvels of nature to Job as one of the tools He used to set Job back on the right path.  He writes, “The majesty, beauty, power, and intimate care of God revealed in the things He has made, and daily sustains, brings Job to his knees and turns him from sliding into sin to pursuing holiness before the Lord.  It is reasonable to suppose that disciplining ourselves to discern the glory and grandeur of God in general revelation can have the same benefit for us, thus fulfilling one of God’s purposes in so making Himself known.”

I must admit I had never previously given much thought to the idea of God using Creation to make us holy.  I certainly knew that the beauty and wonder of God’s handiwork often leads me to worship and praise Him but the thought of Creation turning me from sin and toward the pursuit of holiness is something new.  It does, however, make sense and now that I think about it I can see how Creation has operated in this way in my life for many years.

I know from experience that I have often moved towards sin as a result of what someone has humorously called “stinking thinking.”  I suppose in some sense, all sin originates in the mind.  I also know from experience that being outdoors and paying attention to God’s Creation helps me to think more clearly.  When I’m enjoying nature I’m not thinking about money, power or sex—things that often get us moving in the wrong direction.  When I’m enjoying or pondering the wonders of Creation I’m not worrying about the things I tend to worry about.  Worry happens to be something else that leads me in the wrong direction.  In looking back I can now see how many times “seeing Creation” has kept me from “stinking thinking” and thus away from sin.  It has forced my attention time and time again to God and thus toward holiness.

The apostle Paul knew that what we think about will have a profound effect on our lives.  That’s why he said, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)  I’m sure Paul had a lot of different things in mind when he gave this list but I cannot help but believe that he would include here the wonders of God’s Creation.  There truly are benefits in thinking about “such things.”

–Chuck

(I took the top image in Zion National Park.  I took the bottom two at Arches National Park.  Both parks are located in southern Utah.)

On this date in 1611 Nicholas Herman was born in Lorraine, France.  Nicholas would eventually become known simply as “Brother Lawrence,” the monk who wrote the timeless classic The Practice of the Presence of God.  In this little book Brother Lawrence shares what he sees as the secret of the spiritual life, it is turning every moment into an opportunity for prayer or “the practice of the presence of God.”  Brother Lawrence said by doing so he was able to feel God’s presence just as near while he was washing dishes in the monastery kitchen as he did when he observed the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper.

I have been familiar with Brother Lawrence’s writings for many years.  What I did not know until today was the story of his conversion.  I learned in the book, Common Prayer, that gazing at a barren tree one winter Nicholas Herman “saw for the first time the majesty of God’s grace and the constancy of God’s providence.  He imagined himself like the tree, waiting for the life that God would inevitably bring in season.”  Not long after this experience Nicholas became a lay brother in the Carmelite monastery in Paris and received the name, Brother Lawrence.

I find this story of Brother Lawrence’s conversion fascinating.  Who would have thought that God might speak to someone through a barren winter tree?  Moses’ burning bush makes sense to me, a barren winter tree doesn’t.  But that’s my problem, not God’s.  It should be apparent to all of us by this time that God has no limitations on how He can speak or what He might use to get our attention.  Yes, it should be apparent, but that is not always so.  It is so easy to forget this vital truth and for that reason only look for God in the spectacular or highly unusual.  Doing so, we may very well miss Him altogether. 

I appreciate Brother Lawrence’s initial awareness at the barren winter tree that it symbolized himself “waiting for the life that God would inevitably bring.”  If we are going through “barren” times right now, the barren trees we see around us this time of year serve as reminders that the seasons will change.  We will not always be where we are right now.  As Brother Lawrence understood, they also remind us that God is the one who “makes all things new.” (Revelation 21:5) This is a reminder we need not just in winter but throughout the year.

If you are not familiar with Brother Lawrence and his classic of Christian devotion, The Practice of the Presence of God, I highly encourage you to find a copy of this book and read it.  You’ll be glad you did.

–Chuck

(I took the two images above in the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.)

“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Psalm 8:1

This morning we sang the wonderful hymn, “How Great Thou Art,” at church.  Last night I pulled out an instrumental version of this same hymn to use in an audio-visual presentation I’ll be making later this week.  It is a song I have heard sung my whole life but it has come to have special meaning to me in recent years because of my growing interest in the connection between nature and spirituality.  The author of the hymn, Stuart K. Hine, does a good job of pointing out how paying attention to God’s Creation can lead us into the worship of God Himself.

In the first verse the writer stands “in awesome wonder” as he considers “all the worlds thy hands have made.”  He speaks of seeing the stars, hearing the rolling thunder, and being amazed at “thy power throughout the universe displayed.”  All of this causes him to break forth in praise, “Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee, how great thou art!”

More examples of nature’s prompting God’s praise are mentioned in the second verse: “When through the woods and forest glades I wander, and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees; when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur and hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze; then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee; how great thou art!”

This hymn reminds us that not only are the heavens declaring the glory of God; they are also calling us to do the same.  God created the world not just to provide for our needs but to lead us to worship Him.  Nature is full of prompters calling us to stand in awe of God and to offer Him our praise.  When we pay attention to these prompters we cannot help but declare with the hymn writer, “how great Thou art!”

In the third verse of this hymn the writer goes on to speak of how God giving His Son to die for our sins likewise causes him to sing God’s praises.  In the final verse he points to the triumphant return of Christ and the time we will be taken to our heavenly home.  This, too, causes him to break out in praise of God’s greatness.

In both of God’s books—Creation and the Scriptures—we find plenty of evidence of God’s greatness.  Both books call forth our praise.  And since we were created to offer God praise we would be wise to give careful attention to both books in the days to come.  If you choose to so, don’t be surprised if you find yourself humming or singing “How Great Thou Art.”  It happens to me a lot.

–Chuck

(The top picture was taken not far from my home at Breaks Interstate Park.  I took the middle image last April from the top of a mountain in Hawaii.  I captured the bottom image at Redwood National Park this past summer.)