My husband and I went on a trip to Colorado last fall. This was my first visit to that state, outside of the Denver airport. I was excited to see the changes in topography as we traveled along. We left the lush, green hills and clear, sparkling rivers of southwest Missouri, discovered the endless beauty in the flat plains of Kansas, and slowly crept up into the high plains of eastern Colorado where I spotted the first antelope I had ever seen in the wild.
I loved the shortgrass prairies of the high plains with pine shrubs spotted about. They are full of prairie dogs but very few man. The plains began to slowly roll with small hills and valleys. Far on the horizon, we could see what appeared to be large cloud formations. As we drew closer, we realized it wasn’t clouds at all.
It was mountains.
Massive, magnificent mountains that exploded from the earth and stretched as far as they could, reaching for the heavens.
My husband and I barely spoke as we were both in awe of their majesty. I admit that my eyes filled with tears, struck by the fact that such things exist only because the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9) has wished it so. There it was for all the world to see – the glory of God on full display. A powerful testament to the Creator of the universe, and my own eyes were witness to it.
Have you ever thought about the role nature plays in God’s plan?
I believe it may be much deeper than what might appear to some on the surface.
The Nature of Nature
Let’s take a look at some aspects of nature from Scripture: as it was created, it’s glorification of God, and how it praises Him. It’s probably best if we start in the beginning. That’s what God did.
Nature as it was Created
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, (Genesis 1:1).
First verse ever about what happened first in all of time…God created the heavens and the earth. To start the whole thing off, God created the heavens and the earth.
Sun, moon, stars, wind, water, land, trees, fruit, grass, animals – all existed before man, (Genesis 1:1-25). After God looked at the things He had created and found them to be good in His sight, then He created man, (Genesis 1:26). We humans are truly blessed because God created all these things for His purpose and for His glory, (Nehemiah 9:6), and yet He gave us dominion over all created things to rule and subdue on our behalf, (Genesis 1:26-28).
In the beginning, in all of nature, peace and harmony reigned. No blood was shed – no living creature died to provide for any other living creature. God’s perfect way fulfilled all needs.
God also said, “Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This will be food for you, for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth—everything having the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so, (Genesis 1:29).
The fall of man not only brought about unequivocal changes for human-kind, but for all of creation itself. The first major consequence after man introduces sin into the world is that blood is shed for him (Genesis 3:21). God Himself makes coverings of skin to provide for Adam & Eve. An animal was sacrificed because of sin. The relationship between man and nature quickly changes as the relationship between man and God changes. The peaceful ways of nature itself change as well.
For the Glory of God
Nature displays the power and glory of God in many ways.
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands. Day after day they pour out speech;
night after night they communicate knowledge. There is no speech; there are no words; their voice is not heard. Their message has gone out to the whole earth, and their words to the ends of the world, (Psalm 19:1-4).When he thunders, the waters in the heavens are in turmoil,
and he causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain and brings the wind from his storehouses, (Jeremiah 10:13).He threw Pharaoh’s chariots and his army into the sea;
the elite of his officers were drowned in the Red Sea.
The floods covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone.
Lord, your right hand is glorious in power. Lord, your right hand shattered the enemy. You overthrew your adversaries by your great majesty. You unleashed your burning wrath; it consumed them like stubble. The water heaped up at the blast from your nostrils; the currents stood firm like a dam. The watery depths congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said: “I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil. My desire will be gratified at their expense. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.”
But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. Lord, who is like you among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders? You stretched out your right hand, and the earth swallowed them, (Exodus 15:4-12).
Nature revealed the birth of Jesus and led the magi to Him using a star, (Matthew 2:1-11). Jesus used nature to demonstrate His power over it when He walked on the water, (John 6:19). There are numerous more scriptures where nature exhibits the glory and power of God.
To Praise God
All the natural elements and creatures praise God now and forever will.
Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded, and they were created. He set them in position forever and ever; he gave an order that will never pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth, all sea monsters and ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and cloud, stormy wind that executes his command, mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, creatures that crawl and flying birds, (Psalm 148:3-10).
I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them say, “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!”, (Revelation 5:13).
This may seem like a really strange idea, “A tree praises God?” Let’s think about this for a moment. You could easily say the singing of a whale is the whale’s way of praising the Lord. Sure. The sound the wind makes as it rustles through the trees allows both the wind and the tree to praise the Lord. Okay.
But…what about a mountain? What about a rock?
How does a rock praise the One who created it? Let me borrow the answer from Christian author, Mary Kassian. Each created thing praises God by fulfilling His purpose for it.
Go outside and look around and you’ll see what I mean. The rocks are being rocks, the trees are being trees, the sky is being the sky.
The sun isn’t trying to be the sea. The wind isn’t arguing with God that it identifies more with the land. The ant doesn’t go to war with the lightning. No!
They are what they are, created by God, and under God’s control. If Job is right, nature even knows its place and that the hand of God controls all things.
But ask the animals, and they will instruct you; ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you. Or speak to the earth, and it will instruct you; let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? The life of every living thing is in his hand, as well as the breath of all mankind, (Job 12:7-10).
When all created things perfectly fulfill their purpose as God has foreordained, the ultimate outcome is praise for the Creator and joy & satisfaction for the created.
When the sun is shining and providing light and warmth for the earth, it is bringing praises to the Lord.
Nature’s Place
All of creation is proof, in and of itself, that God exists. By His creation, man has no excuse for idolatry or atheism. It is because of our sinful ways that we even question it. Ignorance, pride – whatever you want to call it – it is a sin to refuse to acknowledge the Truth of God when the evidence is right in front of you every day.
For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse. For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened, (Romans 1:18-21).
Now don’t get all this confused and mess up the pecking order of things. God created nature. We worship God. We do not worship nature. There is no mother nature. There is only Father God. Nature is a faithful servant of God. To worship nature is idolatry and it is a sin.
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen, (Romans 1:26).
Man not only eagerly awaits the day when sin, death, and Satan are defeated…nature does too:
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it—in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the first-fruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies, (Romans 8:18-23).
When man is finally redeemed, nature will suffer no more, it will groan in pain no more, all will be made right once again. The balance of nature will be perfected.
Nature’s Example
Exploring further into Mary Kassian’s ideas, we can easily conclude that if nature does what it is supposed to do, and by so doing, praising God – then it is only logical that humans would follow suit.
Humans need only look to the lilies of the field and the birds of the sky and see how their perfect obedience to God and acceptance of their role leads to peace and joy.
Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you—you of little faith? (Matthew 6:25-30).
God is love, and He is freedom. The Christian walk is specifically designed by Him for us to come into the fullness of our being and we should rejoice in that. He protects us and guides us. If we would only have the common sense to listen, follow, and trust Him. His ways are good. Always. Satan endlessly tries to tell us just the opposite. When we go against God we cannot bring glory to Him. It is not praise to Him to disobey His commandments for our lives. We are in opposition of Him when we choose our way instead of His way, and we are clearly saying to Him that we don’t want to play the role for which we were created. As if somehow we could know better than God what is fitting and good for us.
This sounds like someone with rocks in their head, or as my Mamaw would say, “If brains were grease, they wouldn’t have enough to fry potatoes”.
Mary Kassian brilliantly sums it up like this:
The stone I held in my hand yesterday beside the lake shouted God’s praise. God created it to be a stone, and as such it had no capacity for thought or reason; but if it did, I imagine it would have been very perplexed at the paradox I presented. It would have wondered why it – a simple stone – had the desire and good sense to constantly and wholeheartedly praise its Creator while I, a creature with vastly superior thought and reason, scarcely knew how.¹
Rocky Mountain High
The beauty of the mountains in Colorado was overwhelming for my husband and I. We were there at the peak of fall. The colors of the trees were so brilliant I struggled to describe it. Pictures just couldn’t capture it. I finally told my husband that it looked like they were on fire. The sun would hit those rich yellows, golds, and reds as we continued to twist and turn and make our way through the mountains. The clouds would come and go casting shadows about. The mountains erupted in an explosion from their Autumn adornment, and we could hear the symphony as they sang praises to their Creator.
If you’re having trouble believing in God, understanding His power, or pretty much anything to do with God, take yourself a little trip to the Rocky Mountains or to the ocean shore. Only God could be behind that kind of craftsmanship. Only God could design things so. Only God.
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1. Kassian, Mary A. Knowing God By Name: A Personal Encounter. LifeWay Press, Nashville. 2014.
I found your comments about a simple, small stone particularly interesting. As a child, when I was living on the corner of 11th street and Emporia in Muskogee, Oklahoma, I was playing in the tiny yard on the west side of the house one day. I happened to find a
small stone and picked it up. My usual next move would have been to throw it at something; however, my mind was swept into another realm as I pondered this small, smooth stone.
For some reason I considered whether I could make one. Make a stone like this one. I had a toy truck someone had manufactured, but I realized the manufacturer had used things that he COULD NOT make to make it. Like this stone, no one could MAKE the metal used to form the likeness of a 1935 Ford pickup truck. And I could NOT make a stone like that one, or a tree, or dirt or a cloud. I could only manipulate things that were already made.
Man can make things, but he must begin with materials and objects that have ALREADY been made, and those testify of their MAKER. The small stone I slipped into my pocket testified of an Almighty God, its Maker. I had just received a message from the One who made that stone. I AM THAT I AM. I would eventually come to know that the stone witnessed of Christ, who said, “Before Abraham was I AM.”
Indeed, I could not make that small stone, but God could and did. Jesus stood as a lamb slain before the foundation of the world. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
All nature testifies of Christ.
What a wonderful testament, Dad. I would expect no less from you. Thank you for raising me in a home that loves God, and for faithfully taking us to church, and for desperately & passionately loving my mother.