Author’s Note: Interested readers can find all previous volumes of this series here.
Last weekend my husband and I were kayaking, immersed in nature when suddenly I felt called to write about what the Bible says about nature.
As a nature lover, I marvel at the magnificence of His vast, creative handiwork. Only an Awesome God could make mountains, deserts, oceans, rivers, swamps, forests, the moon, stars, sunrises, and sunsets — all harmoniously blending in an environmental symphony that sustains life on every level.
How could such splendid perfection be created by accident? Every atheist should ask that question. Furthermore, Almighty God is the definition of intelligent design, a popular term for those reluctant to give God direct credit by name.
But He deserves all the credit. If I awake in time to see the sunrise burst onto the horizon with a palette of warm heavenly colors, my faith grows stronger, and I praise God thinking:
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:1).
The power of nature is the power of God speaking to us through his earthly creations. In my travels, I have only seen one church where the power of nature is intentionally transferred into building materials inspiring all who enter. Raise your hand if you have seen the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain? This unique, unfinished grand cathedral means “Holy Family” and has been under construction since 1882. Its exterior resembles a sandcastle, and inside, a giant tree forest.
After a 2016 visit, I wrote in National Review, “when you look up in awe at the great columns of the Sagrada Familia, you see that they are slightly tilted, not straight. By design, they vary in diameter, like trees in a forest. With nature ‘always his teacher,’ Gaudi [the original architect who died in 1926] observed how light changes and is reflected differently throughout the day. He then mimicked nature. And so, depending on the hour and season of your visit, the colors, patterns, and hues shining on the ‘trees’ are always changing.”
Gaudi, a “deeply pious” man who died in 1926, was a “painstaking observer of nature” and “fascinated by trees.” His genius brought the glory of nature and its Creator together under one roof. Thus, I imagine Gaudi was also inspired by the verses selected for today’s study celebrating the power of God in nature. Perhaps the following verse was among his favorite:
“Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy” (Psalm 96:11-12). Indeed, the Sagrada Familia does that!
Now, more uplifting, poetic verses celebrating the Creator’s glorious handiwork.
“God called the dry ground ‘land,’ and the gathered waters he called ‘seas.’ And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:10).
“You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you” (Nehemiah 9:6).
“In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land” (Psalm 95:4-5).
“Praise the LORD, my soul. LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. The LORD wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants. He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved” (Psalm 104:1-5).
“How many are your works, LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small” (Psalm 104:24-25).
“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).
The next verse is part of an extended narrative with the Lord speaking to Isaiah about the Israelites:
“‘The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise’” (Isaiah 43:20-21).
Finally, Job — although down and out — praises God’s creation to his friends:
“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind (Job 12:7-10).
That last verse bears repeating because it is the takeaway lesson of the day:
“In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.”
Thanks for spending your precious time with this study today, and I pray more than ever, you will seek, appreciate, and praise God in nature.
Myra Kahn Adams is a media producer and conservative political and religious writer with numerous national credits. She is also Executive Director of www.SignFromGod.org, a ministry dedicated to educating people about the Shroud of Turin. Contact: MyraAdams01@gmail.com or Twitter @MyraKAdams.