For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
Ever since the creation of the world God’s eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been seen and understood through the things God has made. So they are without excuse.
Romans 1:19-20
When I was in college, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Santiago, Chile. Santiago is a breathtaking city, nestled between the Andes Mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Living in the southeastern United States my whole life, I had never seen mountains like the Andes before. As I stood on the roof of my apartment building, looked out over the city, and saw the snow-capped Andes in the distance, I had never felt quite so small. In that moment, I felt the omnipotence of the Lord more intensely than I ever had before.
In Romans 1, Paul describes a similar feeling to the one I had that first day in Santiago. He writes that God has made himself known to his people through creation. When we stand on the shores of the ocean and watch the waves crash over and over, we are reminded of God’s continual faithfulness. When we hear the rumble of thunder and see a flash of lightning, we recognize God’s all-consuming power. When we feel a gentle breeze on our face as we turn our faces toward the sun, we sense God’s care and compassion for us. Nature provides us with a way to experience and understand who God is through experiencing his beauty on display right in front of us.
So if you’re having trouble remembering how powerful, how loving, or how beautiful God is, I encourage you to step outside. Even in the concrete jungle of New York, we can see his handiwork all around us. He gave us the ability to experience creation so that we can more fully experience his love. We don’t have to search for him in order to be moved to worship—the beauty of creation is enough to bring us to our knees.
Ellen Taylor
Lord, remind me today of your beauty. Thank you for your eternal power and divine nature that is revealed to me through creation around me. Thank you for the flowers and the trees, the oceans and the rivers, the mountains and the deserts, and all of the things that remind me of who you are. I choose to worship you today in awe of who you are and what you have done. Amen.
