God’s Creation

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy (Psalm 96:11-12 ESV).

Once school lets out, my mind immediately goes to summer. This year though, I didn’t want to miss out on celebrating that I live in an area that experiences all four seasons – and in the early spring, we sometimes get all four in one day! So as spring winds down and summer gears up, I’m basking in God’s creation and its beauty. 

I go back to Psalm 96:11-12 and take the time to look at my surroundings to see how creation shouts out and proclaims that God is the beautiful Designer and LORD of this world! I see what were once young buds beginning to blossom and bloom, I hear the buzz of a bee, and if I look closely, I can still see the morning dew sitting on a web. My backyard is revealing God just by simply being. 

Let’s face it; we live in an overly busy world. Our culture is one of hustle where busyness is celebrated and expected. Taking things slow and “stopping to smell the roses” is something you only do on a planned vacation, but only after checking your email and answering “urgent” texts from co-workers. In this kind of hustle-driven world, do we ever have time to sit and celebrate what God has created? Instead, we take simple things for granted, like the sun coming up each morning or the fact that the sky waters the earth and keeps things alive.

This summer, I challenge you to carve out some time to take it slow and enjoy God’s creation. And that doesn’t mean you have to go on a 10-mile nature hike. Not only is all of nature God’s creation, but so are we. We are God’s creation, created in His image.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27).

So, enjoy who God has designed you to be. Do you have a special hobby that you’ve just been too busy to focus on, like painting, dancing, or woodworking? Maybe you aren’t creative, but God gifted you with the ability to organize, so carve out the time and do it! Use this time to be with God as well. Reflect on how He has used you in the past and ask Him to reveal new ways that He can use you right now. Just as creation shouts out and proclaims God, so should we! 

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Scripture is quoted from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®). ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.