We’re starting the journey of our next theme – Celebrating Creation. It’s a theme that will broaden our thinking, our awe of God and His wondrous works. Enjoy the journey with us – and please share what God shows you through it!
As this strange year continues, I’m amazed at how our themes for the year – chosen last year – bring with them messages that are incredibly relevant for the time we’re living in. We started off 2020 with HOPE. Little did we know how needed true understanding and adoption of Biblical hope would be as 2020 brought with it so many unexpected twists and turns. After that we explored JOY. Experiencing joy in hardship is extremely difficult yet possible as God’s light shines upon us and gives us the faith and courage to continue walking forwards. More recently we discussed GRACE. This was probably one of the most challenging and powerful themes for me, and God used this opportunity to teach me about His grace towards me in every facet. I’ve realised that this unmerited favour of God, once realised, spills over to those around us. And that the world is longing for it!
Now we’re looking forwards to July and August and we’re welcoming the theme of CELEBRATING CREATION. I, for one, absolutely love being outdoors, exploring nature. I feel God’s presence breathed in everything He created (Job 12:7-10) – the magnificent mountains, the crashing seas, the bright shining night sky, the gale force winds. All so wondrous and so affirming of my belief and faith in God.
Evidence in Creation
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Romans 1:20
“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
“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
There are many more scriptures that praise God through creation or bring glory to Him through all that is seen on Earth. When my mind plays through some of the beautiful images I’ve seen online of the world, I’m left astounded at how all of it can exist. How we are able to behold those beautiful sights. I’m not sure what your take is on evolution and how the world came into being. I’m certainly not sure of exactly how it all unfolded, but what I truly believe is that God spoke and breathed it into being! It was not by chance, but fully intentional and fully planned out to the last detail.
Intentionally Created
“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Genesis 1:16
“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!”
Psalm 8:3-6
His best creation yet? Human beings! Why? They were created in His image, in His likeness and we’re crowned with glory and majesty from God Himself! How incredible is that? He made us so wonderfully to encapsulate characteristics of Him. Our very beings, formed by His hands in the garden, were breathed into life by God. You carry the image of God within you, whether you believe in Him or not. God created each and every person in the womb (Psalm 139:14).
Humans are complicated, that’s for sure. Sin changed things. But we’ll get to that over the next two months through various articles and contributions from some of our wonderful contributors. For now, just revel in the knowledge that God created you, and every human, intentionally and with purpose.
Celebrating Our Creator!
On various occasions I’ve had conversations with non-believers who love the outdoors and the mountains. They explain how at peace they feel, how small in comparison to the world and how they find restoration and their “true selves” while out hiking, climbing or surfing. Everything inside of me wants to shout out: “YES! Because creation sings HIS glory!”” In the world, we often hear and see how people celebrate creation, yet deny the existence of the Creator.
“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.” Romans 1:25
It’s easy and totally understandable to get lost in creation and to just soak in all its beauty and wonder. Yet, it isn’t meant to end there. It’s meant to turn our faces towards its Creator so that we may behold all He has made so perfectly and intentionally, so that we might turn our praises to Him. So that we may rest in the knowledge of His greatness, His magnificence, His sovereignty and love. And so that we may know His deep and personal love for us.
My prayer for you over the next two months is that despite what is raging in our world right now – the racial fires, the gender-based violence, this pandemic – that we take time to revel in the beauty of Creation. All of God’s people, His works in the natural and His works in the supernatural. During this time, may you have special revelations of our great God and get to know Him better in this beautiful world He’s made for us.
