The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world… (Psalm 19:1-4, ESV)

I met with a friend for lunch recently. We chatted about a myriad of things, took care of some business and then he surprised me by taking out a list of Scriptures he wanted to read with me. I had my Bible handy and he had brought his and we read aloud selections from the Psalms.

The day we met was one of those particularly stormy days. This summer has seen us cope with consistent rains and below normal temperatures. This week parts of Kentucky were flooded as a result of severe thunderstorm cells. As the thunder rolled above and lightning flashed, I was encouraged by the text of God’s word and challenged by my friend’s thoughtfulness to remember the magnificence of God’s creation.

Having had the privilege of travelling around the world, it is amazement to me that as humans we take our capacity to identify and enjoy natural beauty for granted. In this world full of ideological screamers, the constant and quietly pervasive call of Creation cuts through the din of our self-important claims of superiority. Yes, God placed us as stewards over his creation (a responsibility Christians just now seem to recall). Creation directs us to its Master, who is far greater that we can possibly describe.

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Romans 1:20-21, ESV)