Maker of the Heavens – Painter of the Skies

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. (Psalm 19:1-4 NLT)

For me, this Scripture brings back memories from long, long ago. The year was 1990, and I had embarked on a mission trip with my Christian college to England of all places. I know that might not sound very exotic or even challenging, but just stepping outside of your comfort zone can teach you so much. 

I learned how to live a life of service and compassion within a culture similar to my own. I discovered a lot about evangelism and how listening was much more important than speaking. And I experienced how to live life by the prompting of the Holy Spirit while I was on that trip. I also remember learning a beautiful song that included the Scripture above. 

It spoke of God as the One who made the heavens and painted the skies. Then it marveled over the fact that He had made me as well. Perhaps I was even His finest work, fashioned in His image. It spoke of His for me love as unrestrained and free. Through the lyrics I sang to Him, the essence and the fragrance of my praise... Such beautiful sensory words that filled my heart and fueled my imagination.

Today, I still carry that song with me wherever I go. Each time I sit outside under my pergola, rocking in my hammock chair, gazing at the forest behind my home, and whenever I walk along the beach with my toes squishing in the warm, wet sand with the bubbly froth of the ocean lapping against my ankles, I experience God.

Worship and praise well up within me as I gaze across the sky, and land, and sea, as I gaze soul deep into the beautiful eyes of my beloved grandchildren. I sense it as we laugh together, running through God’s masterpiece, playing with sticks and rocks, or counting all the birdies and doggies and kitties that we encounter along our adventures. In this wonderland of nature, I experience a sort of church, a sacred space. I become one with God as I appreciate His stunning creation around me.

In a previous devotion, I talked about God as an all-consuming fire, but He is also the maker of the heavens and the painter of the sky. He is also in the birdsong, and in the dance of leaves upon the wind. As an author, I love to write about creation in my poems. I love to weave its details throughout the descriptions in my novels. I long to inspire some of the wonder that I feel in my heart to my readers, and I hope that sense of awe will lead them to worship their marvelous creator as well. 

Today, I hope that you are inspired to worship and praise, and that you will experience God in all of His glory. I encourage you to reflect on God as the maker of the heavens and the painter of the skies, fully experience His masterpiece of creation, and remember that He made you as well. Dwell on His love for you—unrestrained and free. 

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Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.