"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding." (Job chapter 38, verse 4).
Have you ever looked at the sky on a beautiful summer day? No, I mean have you ever really looked at the sky? Those pristine white clouds that almost look like cotton candy – except that cotton candy can't quite compare – just floating by, their backdrop a vast expanse of the most beautiful blue.
And did you ever really stop to think about the fact, in spite of what science may want you to believe, that this did not happen by accident? Have you ever really considered that these were made by design?
A grand masterpiece that outshines the most expensive piece of art in the most exclusive gallery by far, that is what creation is and it is just testament to the greatness and wisdom and excellence of our Father who made it all out of nothing.
Creation Testifies
"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." (Psalm chapter 19 verses 1-2).
I often complain that since I've moved to the city I rarely see stars anymore, owing to the light pollution with the abundance of street lights, traffic lights etc. But I remember clearly those twinkling lights that dotted the night sky when I lived in the country.
The skies really do proclaim the work of the Master's hands at whatever time of the day or night and in every season. From a golden sunrise coasting over the hill to the way the setting sun paints the clouds in brilliant orange and pink hues at sunset before it dips below the horizon, God has left His signature all over creation.
Sometimes when I look at nature, I am literally at a loss for words – because there are no words that I know that are adequate to describe the wonders that are the works of God's hands.
All I can do is marvel at what I see and say yes this is definitely proof, if I needed any, that there is a God because there is no way this could have happened without the touch of one who is much greater than all else. This could not have happened without divine input. This looks like Omnipotence.
Another great example of the intricacies and the thought that went into the creation process is the flora and fauna that surrounds us. Think about the variety of plant and animal life that exists on the earth. Consider a field of wildflowers and compare them to an oak tree.
They look nothing alike, their purposes are so different, yet each of them has its own brand of majesty and beauty that compels mankind to stop and acknowledge them.
The same hands that made the lion with ferocious strength, made the horse with graceful strength. And they were those same hands that made the domesticated rabbit and the sweet little pup that your child keeps as a pet.
"Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, 'This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt'?" (Job chapter 38, verses 8-11).
Ponder the ocean in all its tumultuous glory. Rolling waves and so vast and frightening in depth and intensity. The sea is one place that will humble even the hardest and most arrogant among mankind. Even the sea has to submit to God in how much power it possesses. Even the sea has boundaries that it dares not breach because the almighty and all powerful God has assigned limits to it.
Made in His image
The things that exist around us in nature are great, the sea and skies and everything that inhabits them. All the plants and animals we share our temporary home with boast about the greatness of God. But what I believe to be His greatest masterpiece, His greatest source of grief and His greatest love would be mankind.
He really went all out with that bit of dust on day six. If you think details went into making sure that no snowflake is like another, or that every zebra has its own unique stripe pattern, imagine the details that went into creating us to walk and talk and function the way we do!
Imagine the details that went into making sure every single one of us had our unique fingerprints. He has numbered the very hairs on our heads as Jesus tells us in Matthew chapter 10, verse 30. So when you comb your hair and a portion comes out in your comb, God knows that strand seven thousand three hundred and sixty one was included.
He has distinguished us from everything else in all creation with wisdom, knowledge and understanding. He made us as individuals and he knows us individually. Even identical twins who share the same DNA, and who may look exactly alike to some persons, are unique and when God looks at them He sees individuals.
There are almost 8 billion of us living here and He is able to remember our individual needs, our fears and struggles, our strengths and weaknesses, and keep watch over every single one of us.
A God who could look at the beautiful earth that He made with all the majestic creatures and everything else that inhabits it and then look at us and say "You mean more to me than these", surely deserves our love. He surely deserves our adoration and our praise.
He is worthy of more than a thousand hallelujahs. Let us not sit back and allow the trees to wave their branches in praise. Let us not relax and allow the wind to raise its voice in song to the Most High God. Because guess what? Creation will worship God, one way or the other. So let it be us first, let us enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with the praise that is due unto His mighty name.
May we be so in awe of the might and splendor and majesty of God that our souls can't help but sing "How great thou art! How great thou art!"
