The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” – Psalm 19:1
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” – Romans 1:20
The other day my dogs and I were out for our regular walk around the neighborhood. We stopped to chase rabbits and sniff for lizards and coyotes at an open space. I looked up to see a breathtaking sky—swirling clouds like brushstrokes in a divine painting. Wistful, white horse tails, dramatic wings of angels, paint brush strokes made with flair by the artist. My gaze drifted from section to section of this mural in the sky which seemed painted just for me in that moment. I fantasied being able to go home and re-create such beauty with watercolors; wanting to capture this fleeting moment for all time.
But alas, not only am I not on God’s level of Creator, I find myself still in the “stick figures only” stage. As I pulled my gaze reluctantly away I was struck with the truth that others would see the same masterpiece and yet never see the Master.
No greater truth has been spoken than Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” A truth which was the subject of a number of conversations between my dad and I over the year we were together. My dad, the atheist, could not give himself over to this truth. I came at the subject from every angle the Spirit gave me. But when it came to the “why” of it all he would only admit to “I don’t know.”
It’s a strange and mysterious fact of the Bible that God chooses not to open the eyes of some. From pharaohs to kings and pharisees to regular folks, people from all centuries have refused to see God’s most obvious handiwork. The world itself.
You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you. Nehemiah 9:6
Unfortunately when we don’t have a God-centered worldview we so easily fall into a self-centered worldview. Other’s lives are not as valuable (as seen with the abortion debate), other’s needs are not seen and met, and our own internal lives so often become meaningless. The self-worldview is a constant search for something to make us happy and give us purpose.
When I volunteered for Billy Graham’s Search for Jesus ministry I frequently got the question, “What is my purpose?” As a Christian the answer sounds so simple – to love the Lord God with all your heart, mind and soul. The difficulty is putting it into practice. But why should we do this? Because God is our Creator. He knitted us in our mother’s womb. He knows every single hair on our head. He knows the how, the why, the when, even when we don’t.
Friend, I encourage you today if you are feeling a bit disconnected from God to go and experience His first and most majestic revelation to us. As some might say, “Go feel some grass.” Take five minutes at least to sit and just see His creation and wonder at the mystery of it all.
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. Colossians 1:16
Have you missed a 30 Days of Reverence post? Click here to read about God’s attentiveness and compassion.
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