Seeing God Through His Creation

Whether you’re a “nature lover” or not, it’s impossible to ignore the facets of God’s personality. His strength and power, His intelligence, and surely His love are revealed in every single part of His marvelous creation. What joy He brings through it!

Eternal Perspectives by Sally Bair

Nature’s lessons

When I lived in the country, a myriad of wild creatures visited my backyard. One day a fisher ran across the lawn. Another day a family of raccoons visited my deck. Occasional black bears, wild turkeys, grouse, red and gray foxes, dozens of deer, and even a pair of gray wolves made themselves known outside my window. I never tired of watching nature’s surprising visits and felt blessed to have made their acquaintances.

Whether animal, vegetable, or mineral here on earth, or the sun, moon, and stars above, they all speak of God’s loving care and concern. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1) The vast expanse and variety of the universe are given for our pleasure and livelihood.

God created us to live in a close relationship with nature. His creation reveals many facets of His personality, such as His strength and power, His unsurpassed intelligence, and His beauty. And since He made us in His image, we can identify with Him. As He hears, we hear. As He speaks, sees, and moves, so do we. We also share the emotions of joy and sorrow with Him.

To our discredit, however, we as mankind have damaged His goods to the point of causing soil erosion, allowing deforestation and over-harvesting of fish and other creatures. The well-being of both man and beast has been adversely affected.

The good news is that although humans have failed to care for God’s creation, He hasn’t. He still cares for the doe giving birth to her fawn and the bobcat as it seeks its next meal. And the best news is that He cares enough for us weak, contrary humans even more. The Bible says He even numbers the hairs on our heads. He hears our prayers. God loves us so much that He offered His only Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice for our sin. How can we not choose to love Him in return?

We learn of His great love through His Word but also through His creation. Who can deny His great love when watching the beauty of His perfectly formed wild creatures? Who can deny His infinite care while eating an apple picked from a perfectly formed tree?

Lord, thank You for Your creation that shows us Your unsurpassed love and mercy. We are in awe of every facet of Your creation, from the bobcat to the honeybee. Thank You for the joy we receive from nature. Give us wisdom and a caring heart as we coexist with even the lowliest part of Your creation. In Jesus’ name, amen.