Proverbs 3:19. The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens;
When was the last time you took the time to look at the sky? The sunset or sunrise? The clouds? The night sky? Constellations? When was the last time you gave nature more than just a fleeting glance?
God created everything (earth and heavens) by wisdom and by understanding. That means that we can, and should, look at everything in creation and see the love, the power, and the goodness of God. Genesis tells us that everything God made was good. It was wise. It was the best it could be. It couldn’t get any better than it was.
Consider for a moment the fine tuning of the universe. Planet Earth is the perfect distance from the sun. Any closer and we burn up, any farther away and we freeze. The force of gravity is perfect. If the force of gravity was even slightly different there would be no sun, stars, or planets. Or think about atoms. If the size of protons, neutrons, and electrons were just a fraction different there would be no molecules. No molecules no life. Hopefully we can all agree that the mass of atoms is wise. Not random. Not chance. But wise and understanding. It takes much more faith to reject a creator than to accept one.
The psalmist, King David, said “the heavens declare the glory of God.” Creation is declaring all around us just how loving God is. Creation declares the self-giving nature of love. The trees give up their seeds so that more fruit can grow. The clouds give up their moisture so that rain can water the ground. The sun shares its heat with us. The thermonuclear reactions taking place in the stars is creating for us literally every element on the periodic table that we need to be alive. All around you God’s creation is proclaiming his loving nature. Are you listening?
Of course nature is not God’s only revelation of his love. Christ is the full and final declaration of God concerning his wisdom and grace. Even more than the heavens, Jesus, who made the heavens shows us how good and loving God is. All of nature gives of itself so there can be biological life on earth, but Jesus gave of himself so there can be eternal life in us. God’s life. Given to us freely by the indwelling life of Christ for all who believe.
You: Are you taking the time to not only look at nature but also listen to its declaration of God’s love for you?
You in Christ: In Christ you are the new creation. How does the creation image the new creation?
Christ in you: How can you be more intentional about spending time with God’s creation as a way of knowing Christ and his sacrifice?
Pray: Father, thank you for your wise creation. Thank you for life, both physical and spiritual life with you. Help me to listen to the declaration of your love all around me in nature and in me by your Spirit. Amen.
To Live is Christ 