Recently my family and I had the joy of driving to Wyoming for a family reunion with my in-laws. It was a much needed vacation, and I was eager for twenty hours of windshield time and play with my family. We took the northern route, through southern Minnesota, across South Dakota to western Wyoming, seeing some old stomping grounds along the way.
We saw many differing kinds of nature: rolling plains, the Badlands and Black Hills in SD, Yellowstone, and the Grand Teton mountains. Along the way I found myself praising God over and over for His magnificent creative and powerful handiwork. I wasn’t necessarily aiming for this, but I found my soul, my spirit within me, being refreshed by looking at creation and being repeatedly drawn to worship the Creator.
I don’t say this to sound spiritual, or even pastoral. Honestly I was a bit convicted that I’d not chosen to allow the Creator to refresh me by looking at His creation more frequently while resting in Him.
The first part of Psalm 19, verses 1-4, vividly portrays that God speaks to everyone, in a general sense through what he made, “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.”
The second section in Psalm 19, verses 7-11, move us from general revelation to specific revelation, showing how wonderful God’s Word in the Bible is. God uses creation (generally) and the Bible (specifically) to revive our soul (7a), make the simple wise (7b), make our heart glad (8a), open and enlighten our eys (8b) and more.
As I looked at the beauty of the Lord’s creation my heart was drawn upward to praise the Lord specifically for His power, His creative wonder, and magnificense. But it goes even further. God used the Grand Teton mountains to draw me to praise Him (not the mountains, but He who made them), which led me to the surety of the Bible in Psalm 119, which ultimately led me to praise Jesus because He is the center of God’s plan for redemption (Colossians 1:15-20). Everything was created through Him and points to Him.
I was ready for vacation because life can be hard, and often I don’t handle things in a God-glorifying way in my heart. I experience fear, anxiety, seeking the approval of others, and more. God began to revive my soul as I viewed magnificent mountains, was drawn to Bible verses God has helped me learn, which ultimately led me to overwhelming thankfulness that Jesus paid the penalty for all my sinful responses to life’s difficulties.
Step outside. Look up. Look around. Be amazed and don’t stop there. Worship God who made it all, made you, and will redeem everyone who looks to Jesus for saving grace!
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