~Ami Schmidtke
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” – Psalm 19:1
Have you ever been to the mountains or watched the northern lights, and just had to pause for a moment on account of what you see before you? Have you found yourself awestruck by the magnitude and the beauty of creation around you?
We have been wired to appreciate beauty! It is literally part of our design; Genesis tells us when God planted Eden, He specifically chose to make “every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food” (Gen 2:9). Form and beauty were actually mentioned before their function or use, and Eden was designed for God’s children – us!
The majesty we see in creation may (rightly) leave us awestruck, and yet, we know it is but a shadow in comparison to the glory of the Creator Himself. Can we fathom it? Truly, who is like our God?
“Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?” (Isaiah 40:12)
The natural things that are of a magnitude almost too great for us to grasp can literally be held in His hands.
David wrote, “I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well” (Ps 139:14). We ourselves are living, breathing examples of God’s wonderful works, and according to this passage, seeing God through creation is actually something our soul can recognize!
You can hear it in conversations with unbelievers – they experience the same draw, the same soul deep appreciation, and they might even describe their experience as “spiritual” – but they haven’t met the God behind it and they don’t ascribe Him the glory.
Spending time in creation with folks who don’t know our God presents us with a beautiful opportunity to witness, in an environment that is itself literally agreeing and testifying, because God has revealed Himself in what He has made. Paul writes, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made..” (Rom 1:20a).
Master, make us a people who can joyfully echo the rest of creation and declare Your greatness, Your power, and Your majesty to the people around us! Help us to take every opportunity to acknowledge You and ascribe You the glory.