Creation and Creator
Like many people, my heart is filled with wonder and awe as I look at the beauty and majesty of the world around us. Majestic mountains, gentle streams, colorful flowers, twinkling stars and a myriad of other wonders of this world touch the hearts of man, regardless of our faith or belief in God. Why is this world so wonderfully beautiful? We as believers know it reflects back on its Maker
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. (Psalms 19:1-4a NIV)
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 men are without excuse. (Romans 1:20 NIV)
This world was made for us. In His infinite wisdom, God designed the world for us. Though the world we see today is in a fallen state because of sin, His wisdom and design is astoundingly clear in all that we see around us. We can so easily overlook the wonder of all He has made. It all works together perfectly. We can so easily take for granted and even not see much of what He has done. If we are not careful, we can miss out on important truths He wishes to teach us through what He has made. Jesus gives a great example of this in Matthew
"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 important than food, and the body more important 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? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? (Matthew 6:25-30 NIV)
Jesus teaches us that by observing God's creation, we can see how He has designed it to provide for everything. This is His design for the world and He has accomplished this perfectly. This same pattern is also God's design for our lives. We can learn and grow in understanding of our Creator as we look at what He has made.
This design carries from the physical to the emotional as well. Just as we are fed and nourished by the bounty of His creation, so we are fed and nourished emotionally by the people around us He has put into our lives. Certainly, we do see and experience the impact of our fallen condition as we have been hurt by others, but we also know the warmth and encouragement we receive from those who truly love us. We are all made in God's image and so there is a taste of God Himself as we interact with others. God's provision for us both emotionally and physically is complete in all He has made.
We as believers look forward to the day we will see Him face to face in Heaven. There, we will see Him in all His fullness and beauty. The wonders and glory of heaven are beyond what we can possible imagine. While I don't doubt heaven is an incredible place, I think one of the major things which will make it wonderful is the complete restoration and transformation of our hearts. It's not just a wonderful place, it is inhabited only by perfect people. I want to point out that the wonder of heaven is not just where we will be, but who we will be. The transformation of our hearts will be complete and so we will be able to see all of God's glory and wonder with our new hearts. I would suggest to you, though, that part of this transformation can and does occur here on earth. There is much, much more of God's wonders that we can see down here as we grow in Him and open our eyes to all He would reveal to us.
As we develop a keen awareness of God's hand in all He has made and brought into our lives, we can grow to love and know our Maker in ways we haven't seen before. We can appreciate and enjoy in a new way the refreshment and encouragement of the physical world and the people who are around us. Do you savor and see God's hand in all that is around you? Worship Him in the glory and wonder of all He has made. Reflect on His wisdom and power as we consider His creation. Allow your hearts to be filled with Him as you see all He has placed in your life.
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