7 May 2020
Like many of you, I have been taking advantage of the new normal of working from home to get out onto the trails around my area in the mornings. The Spring weather has made for perfect hiking conditions and as I have walked, I have often been in awe of the beauty of creation and the God who brought it all into being.
I have been reading and meditating on psalm 19 a lot recently and my walks have really helped to bring it to life. The beginning of psalm 19 speaks of how creation reveals God to us and so describes how I feel when I see the beauty in nature:
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
As I walk, I usually listen to the day’s Bible in a Year reading for the first 30 minutes and then reflect on it and maybe put on some worship music for the rest of my walk. The second part of psalm 19 speaks of how God reveals himself through His Word:
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
I recently had the difference in how God is named in these two parts of the psalm pointed out to me. In the beauty of Creation, we see the power and creativity of the ‘God’ who made all things, but in His Word, we can come to know Him personally as ‘Lord’.
Let me describe to you some of the ways the beauty of nature and my desire to nurture my relationship with the Lord through His Word have come together in my hikes recently:
This morning I was listening to John 4 as I walked. As Jesus told the woman at the well about the living water he offers, I paused by a gently flowing stream and reflected on Jesus’ words
‘but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I will give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’
As Winter gave way to Spring, I loved to see the fresh new shoots appearing on trees and bushes where days before there appeared to be only dead wood and would often stop to try and capture the beauty in a photograph. I was reminded that God says, ‘I am making everything new’ (Rev 21:5); these new shoots are just a glimpse of the New Creation to come. I would be reminded too that I am a new creation in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 5:17) and ‘have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator’ (Col 3:10), and this would give me hope for the areas in my life I know are in need of some new shoots!
As the Spring flowers began to bud and bloom my camera was out again as I marvelled at the intricacy and variety of even the tiniest flowers and was reminded of Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:28-30
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. 30 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—you of little faith?
And I was reminded of earlier verses from the same passage one morning as I walked by the waterfront in Sandy Bay and was amazed to see maybe forty or fifty tiny little birds ‘playing’ in the long grass:
26 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?
At a time when I really needed to know God’s love, care and provision for me, there it was displayed so perfectly in nature and in God’s Word.
Watching the sun appear and light up the early morning sky from behind High West I was reminded of Lamentations 3:22-23
22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
And the same day watching the sun flood the sky with colour as it set over the sea on my evening dog walk caused me to praise God for his love and faithfulness.
3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the Lord is to be praised. (Ps113:3)
Some of these photos made it onto Instagram or into messages to WhatsApp groups. I was eager to share how, through the beauty of nature, God’s Word was very much alive and active and how it was indeed refreshing my soul and giving joy to my heart.
There is such a temptation for us to compartmentalise our lives and keep God in the Sunday morning and Bible study group box, but how much better is it to enjoy God’s Word and celebrate all that He is in the little moments of our day?
If you are out hiking this week, or even just as you go about your day, take time to notice God’s handiwork around you, allow the Holy Spirit to remind you of verses you have read and praise God in the little moments.
And remember to share what you notice with at least one other person; you have no idea how much your praise and observations might be just what they need to hear and be a timely encouragement for their day.
Janette McCool
