Tune In
George Washington Carver once wrote, “Nature is an unlimited broadcasting station through which God speaks to us every hour—if we will only tune in.” I have loved this quote ever since I came across it several years ago. It speaks truth to me. I really do believe that nature is one of the means God uses to speak to us. Everyday there is an opportunity to “hear” something new. But how many of us get these messages? A lot of us don’t and Carver intimated why—we fail to tune in. Either we forget to pay attention or are not fully convinced that God does in fact speak through nature. I admit that I do not always listen as I should. I, too, sometimes forget to tune in. But over the years I have heard God speak to me in powerful and moving ways through nature. In this post I thought I’d share with you some of the things I’ve learned about God in or through nature.
First, I have learned that God truly is the Almighty, that God is all-powerful. Looking up at the Milky Way on a clear night, standing before a roaring waterfall, watching glaciers calve into the sea, looking up at majestic mountains I have felt humbled by God’s power. God is the Creator of all these things, the Creator of everything! God’s power is undeniable. It is incomprehensible. In nature we are reminded of this day after day.
Second, I have learned through nature that God is wise and all-knowing. Only one who is infinitely wise could put the world together the way that it is. God’s wisdom is on display everywhere we look. Everything God made has a purpose. Everything! We may not always know what that purpose is but that is only a sign of our limited understanding. With unbounded wisdom God made this planet livable. Things had to be just right for earth to sustain life as we know it. God’s design of this earth is amazing! The evidence of this is everywhere we look.
Third, I have learned that God is the consummate artist and the author of beauty. Every day I get to witness God’s handiwork and I stand in awe of it. I see the beauty in my neighborhood where I walk almost every day. I see it when I’m out driving around. I see it when I visit our state and national parks. I’ve seen it in my international travels. There is beauty to behold everywhere you go. God could have made all flowers and all birds to look the same but chose instead to bless them with an infinite variety of colors, shapes and sizes. This attention to variety and detail can be seen in all of nature.
The last thing I’ll mention here is that I have learned in and through nature that God is love. The fact that a home was prepared for us in the first place is proof to me that God loves us. The fact that God gave such careful attention to details necessary for our survival, as well as other creature’s survival, is a testament to God’s love for us. So is all the beauty that we find such delight in. Nature teaches me that God delights in us and cares deeply for us.
Now all of these truths can be found in the Scriptures. The Bible speaks extensively about God’s power, wisdom, creativity and love. And we will never find a clearer picture of God than that which we find in Jesus Christ. But nature augments these truths and brings them home to us in a visible and tangible way. If we are wise we will make sure to tune in each day so that we might catch God’s “unlimited broadcasting station.”
What have you learned about God through nature?
–Chuck
