God is everywhere. Take a step outside and you will be surrounded by the intricacies and fascinating systematic creation that was created by our God. He is in the mountains, the beaches, jungles, ocean depths, prairies, farmland, desserts, and valleys. To see His creation is to see a piece of Him. As it says in Romans 1:20, “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.” Not only can we feel His presence in His creation but there is more knowledge that He wants to share with us through it all. Let’s take a look at four ways God reveals Himself through His creation.
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God created all of nature, people, animals, and the space you see around you in 6 days. He is the master artist, architect, engineer, medical team, and teacher. Through the intricacies of our day-to-day, we have been given the ability to continue to create through the use of technological advancements. Many of us rely on things like electricity, internet, and indoor plumbing that, in all reality, have only been a part of the day-to-day life norms in the past 100 years. In my own experience, when the power goes out or my internet is slow, I have quite the reaction.
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It’s in these times that I am reminded that God takes care of us as He has always intended. Sure, he developed the ability for humans to create luxury lifestyle items, but when it comes down to it, we are being taken care of regardless of these “extras” in life. He has given us everything we need. Matthew reminds us that if God takes care of the birds and flowers, how much more assured should we be that he will take care of His children?
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:25-26
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God is beautiful. His glory is such that mere man can’t even gaze upon him fully and live. Moses found this out when he asked God, “Now show me your glory.” (Exodus 33:18) And such was the Lord’s response, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” (Exodus 33:20). God had Moses stand in the cleft of a rock as he passed by and placed His hand over him. Moses was allowed to see His back, but His face was not to be seen.
Look around as the seasons change and you will see beauty upon beauty emerging from its cocoon. An orange fiery sunset, crystal clear waters, snowcapped mountain peaks, miles of sunflower fields…the list goes on and on. Sometimes something is so beautiful we can only stand in awe of its presence.
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God shines from His creation. It is just a glimpse of the beauty we will fully behold in Heaven. Eden was perfect. The trees, food, river watering all the vegetation, and the first two people created in perfection, Adam and Eve. Though sin entered the world shortly after, the beauty of the remains is all we see of a glimpse of the New Eden that will be restored in Heaven.
To see God’s creation is to see God. “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” Job 12:7-10
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To see his handprint on our human bodies is to behold His artist brush. We are His children – His creation made in His image. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) How kind an artist is He to think of us as deserving to bear His image. How kind of Him to come to us as a human to save us from our sins.
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Timing is everything. God not only times our lives into a patchwork quilt of His will but also the cyclical timing of a 24-hour day, 365-day year, and constant motion of planets spinning on their axis at just the right angle is a testament to His control. To see the change of seasons in nature is to see God’s perfect timing, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
Many times we can get stuck in fear or uncertainty. I am constantly reminded to not worry about what is ahead of me as I know my Father has it all in His hands, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-31)
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If he can take care of the birds, the flowers of the fields, and the winds, so can He take care of us. Your dream may not be visible, or your heart may be aching from a loss. Remember that the same God that ordains the sun to rise and set is the same God that has your heart in the palm of His hands. In His timing, all is made right whether here on earth or in glory, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
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God can speak to His children through the use of His voice, His Word, the Holy Spirit, people, or in signs seen to the eye. In the Bible, there are several accounts of God using His creation to speak to His children.
Balaam had gotten up to head to the Moabite officials on a reckless path but God was not pleased with this. He sent the angel of the Lord to stand in his way to oppose Balaam and his two officials. With sword in hand, the angel of the Lord was on a mission and the donkey took notice. Balaam ended up beating his donkey three times as it responded to the angel’s presence delaying the journey.
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Finally, God opened the donkey’s mouth to speak to Balaam to get his attention, ““What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.” The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” “No,” he said. Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.” (Numbers 22:28-31).
Another account that demonstrates God’s control of His creation to fulfill His purpose is with Jonah. After 3 days and nights in the belly of the whale God sent to swallow Jonah after being thrown overboard in raging waters, “…the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.” (Jonah 2:10) Never underestimate God’s power.
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As we have discussed, to see nature is to see the work of our Creator, our living and loving God. Proof of His existence is just steps outside of your door, in the heartbeat of the loved one you hold dear, and in the timing of your day. These are just a few ways we can learn more about God, hear what He has to say to us, and take in His beauty. May we continue to take care and love His creation and all that live among it. May we take heed to His direction in our lives in the ways He reaches us through the Word as well as the nature around us.
Listen. He is revealing more of Himself every day.
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