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 spot on. If gravity’s force 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 shouting all around us just how loving God is. Creation reveals 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 are 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 his 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.
One day Christ will come and he will restore the heavens and earth to their original glory. He will create the New Heavens and the New Earth. A new creation where all is glorious and new.
Revelation 21:1-4. 1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place[a] of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”
You: Are you able to see God’s love or us in his creation?
You in Christ: In Christ everything will be made new. In what ways are you already new?
Christ in you: How can you spend time in nature this week as a way of knowing Christ and his sacrifice?
Pray: Father, thank you for your wise creation. Thank you for 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 