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Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them.
Psalms 69:34
I hope at some point we’ve all experienced the grandeur of the outdoors. I don’t mean taking a walk in a public park.
I’m talking about getting out into the wilderness.
Standing next to a giant Sequoia.
Standing at the edge of a cliff viewing the Grand Canyon.
Digging your toes into the sand while you look at the ocean.
God’s Unseen Attributes in Clearly Seen In His Works
There’s a curious passage in Romans 1:20.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse…
Romans 1:20
What are the invisible attributes that are clearly seen?
There’s something about the Creation itself that imparts something into our hearts or subconsciousness that affirms the Creator’s handiwork in the world.
When I was a kid I often hiked in Yosemite. The views of the great rock walls stretching miles into the air and the cascading waterfalls gave me a certain peace whenever I saw them. Yosemite has inspired numerous works of art, from paintings, to photography, and music. If you’ve ever been there you’d see why.
Another place within Yosemite is the Tuolumne Meadows. Long ago, moving glaciers shaved off the tops of the great mountains leaving behind a vibrant, green meadow home to some of the most beautiful (and underrated) views in Yosemite.
As a young boy, I often spent hours sitting by the creeks that crossed through the meadows just taking it all in. The smooth, running waters of the creek and its trickling noises blended in perfectly with the 360• views, the endless green grass, the smell of the manzanita, and the gentle breeze that often combed over the meadows during the day.
I was just a kid but deep down I knew that God was behind all this grandeur.
You can’t articulate this sense of awe into rigid, if-then, or but-for logical categories. Even if you could, it would be dry reading. Words simply cannot capture all the beauty.
The only thing you can really do is attempt to just describe the entire experience from a 30,000-foot level and let the majesty speak for itself.
The Silent Testimony of the Lord’s Creation
It is this great, silent creation that testifies to God’s power. The height of the mountains, the expanse of the seas, and the rush of the wind do not speak in words, but in what they deliver to the senses.
The creation’s testimony is not seen but felt and experienced.
And you cannot deny what you feel.
It’s always these small, quiet ways that speaks to us of God’s power. We cannot imagine the unseen efforts that go into creating and maintaining the myriad of natural processes that sustain our world. Yet we can see the fruits of these processes in how water springs from the ground, how the air carries seeds and pollen to new fertile grounds, or how the tides wash over dry land.
The Poetry of Psalm 104: A Montage of Creation
Consider the unknown psalmist who wrote Psalm 104.
The entire psalm takes the 30,000 foot approach. How could he not?
Verses 1-4 begin with God’s own majesty, how He is clothed with light, and sets the world on its foundation.
Verses 5-7 summarize the creation week and the Flood, and the draining of the flood waters.
Verses 8 onwards describes the limitations placed on the waters in the current, post-flood world and how they will never go over their appointed boundaries.
Next, the hydrologic cycle of the world is observed, with springs gushing out of the mountains, feeding flocks and bringing rain to grow wild foods to feed humanity.
From these works man makes wine and oil. Societies develop leading to trade and commerce while the creatures of the sea play about in the ocean.
The rising and setting of the sun are described along with their attendant activities: hunting and gathering during the day, sleeping and taking refuge at night.
So many things teeming and buzzing in a vigorous display of life!
The psalmist takes it all in as he concludes:
You send forth Your Spirit, they are created, And You renew the face of the ground. Let the glory of the LORD endure forever; Let the LORD be glad in His works; He looks at the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they smoke. I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall be glad in the LORD.
Psalms 104:30-24, NASB
The Psalm ends with a single verse seeking the vanquishing of the wicked and purging the earth from those who ruin it or bring misery to its inhabitants.
….Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord!”
Psalms 104:35 (NASB, partial)
The Creation Points to the Lord
Returning to Romans 1:20, it is interesting that the obviousness of the creation’s grandeur is described as enough to tell everyone on earth that God exists. The next verses state that some took that divine feeling from marveling at the creation’s grandeur and channeled it to idol worship.
(You can probably imagine how some of that misplaced idolization still manifests today in tarot, crystals, witchcraft, and the ancient nature religions of the world.)
While the creation is beautiful do not let yourself misplace the purpose behind it all.
All things serve the glory of God and His creation serves to give testimony to Him and also, to point us towards our Creator. For who could sustain the natural forces of this world if not God?
Remember this the next time you’re at the beach, in the forest, next to a canyon, or from a mountaintop.
For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”
Isaiah 55:12, NKJV
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