Glory

If creation is responsive to God, if it praises him, then it bears witness to some crucial realities. Creation, in fact, bears witness to at least four realities - That God is glorious, that God wants to nurture what he has made, that human beings carry a penalty for walking away from God and his plan for them, and that we live in a precarious universe. These might seem like contradictions, but they're not.

Let's start with God's glory. Ever wonder why so many people on the weekends leave the cities to find somewhere in unspoiled nature that they can call home for a few hours? What are they looking for? When we view it with eyes that see beyond the routine, creation speaks enormous volumes about the complexity, greatness, and wondrous power of the Creator. That's why, standing in front of an unexpected waterfall or coming upon a deer in the woods, we get the urge to worship. Nature constantly points us beyond itself to the One who made it, saying, "See! See the One who's responsible for all of this."

People who escape to the great outdoors may not tell you that they're doing it to find God. But that is who they find.