The Glory of God
“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 reveal knowledge.” Psalm 19:1-2
I live in Tennessee, and no joke, it has been cloudy and raining for the good part of two months. I love an occasionally rainy day to rest and curl up on the couch with a good book, but do you know how disheartening it is to look at the ten-day forecast and see rain, rain, and more rain? It’s terrible!
Today is the first really sunny day we’ve had in a long time, and as I stepped outside to see the sun rising over the green grass in my backyard, I kept turning Psalm 19 over and over again in my heart. Verses 1 & 2 really come to mind every time I see something beautiful in nature: a sunset, the stars, a beautiful view in the Smoky Mountains; God made the world such a beautiful place, and when we choose to spend time outside, we get to connect with God in such a fun and special way!
In the time of social distancing, one thing we do have is nature. We can go outside and play, explore, move our bodies, breathe fresh air, sit, read, swing, rest, and soak in the sun. There is so much good to be had, even if we have to find it in small doses of a park or the small patch of grass outside our door.
My encouragement to you today is this: go outside (even if it’s raining), and thank God for three to five things you see out there. Like the Psalmist writes, let what you see declare the glory and goodness of God to you. Do it again and again and see how God begins to stir your heart towards His creation. All of nature points us back to God. May we have eyes to see it and hearts that are opened to God’s goodness today!
And because I asked you to do it, here are five places I’m seeing the glory of God outside today:
- Early morning sunlight–it makes everything around look so beautiful.
- Green, green grass and tiny new buds on my hydrangea bush–they remind me that spring is here and new life is right around the corner.
- Birds chirping, singing their songs–I love hearing their sounds and their songs back to God.
- The little creek that bubbles in my backyard–it fills me with peace and always calls to mind Psalm 23.
- Feeling the sun on my skin–it warms me and fills me with delight!