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Listen while you read: "O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go"1 (Lyrics) |
Psalm 19:1 – The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (NIV)
"Oh, God," I sigh, "You must have had so much fun creating our world!" I'm driving to my summer home in the White Mountains of Arizona, USA. The road starts in the heat of the Phoenix, Arizona, desert, winds through wonderful, weird rock formations, then transitions through every possible type of vegetation until travellers arrive in the cool shade of tall pine forests graced by summer wildflowers. It's an incredible drive with not a freeway in sight, a perfect opportunity to worship God as I drive.
I don't mean that I worship nature as God. I truly believe that God created our world, and I think that He enjoyed the whole process. How could He not? The variety of scenery in Arizona alone is enough to make one gasp. We visited the Grand Canyon recently, and took in that amazing sight. I like to think of God simply tracing a line in the ground with His mighty finger, angling it here and there for a perfect design, just so that He could display His glory in one more outstanding way.
In his book, Our Great God and Saviour, Eric Alexander states, "The entire created order — 'the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them' — owes its origin to the sovereign decree of God as king of the universe, sitting upon his throne." (p.34)
Jeremiah 32:17 – Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. (NIV)
So, if we believe that He created our wonderful world and if we believe that He is sovereign, then we have to believe the last sentence of the verse, which means that nothing is impossible for Him. This is a challenge, I admit, especially this year in the midst of COVID-19, riots, wildfires, and all the other traumas that headline the news. There are days when I have to yank my thoughts back from the worry that I let creep into my mind over these events.
Psalm 146:6 – God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them — the Lord, who remains faithful forever. (NIV)
Job 38 is an incredible exposition of God's sovereign power in creating and ordering our world, a chapter to read when we need to be reminded of what God did and can do. If we believe in His mighty power and His endless faithfulness and that nothing is too hard for Him, then we should be able to have peace in our hearts, regardless of personal or world events.
Prayer: Father, this world is incredible. You have made such a variety of awesome and wonderful sights for us to enjoy. Help us to worship You as we travel through life, to use the power of creation to remind us of Your power and faithfulness. We know in our minds that nothing is too hard for You. Help us to believe that firmly in our hearts. Amen.
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A good word, Sharon.
He created all things, He is great.
Thanks for sharing Sharon.
Sharon, thanks for reminding us of God’s ability when we are so disabled by a nasty virus. Blessings.
Dear Sharon,
Thank you for the great reminder of God’s power in this world and the beauty he created for us also to enjoy. Blessings.
Hi Sharon
Thank you for this. I so agree, the peace God gives us when we just rest in His love and wisdom.
God bless.
Thank you for these. I’ve been trying very hard to “let go and let God”, but I find it difficult most days. We stay to ourselves a lot. Maybe once every couple weeks we’ll visit friends and play games. But I’m tired of hearing everyone living in fear.
Amen Sharon. Your devotion reminds me of the song “Creation Calls” that says “How could I say there is no God? When all around creation calls! A singing bird, a mighty tree. The vast expanse of open sea?
I Iove this song by Brian Doersen.
Blessings and stay safe.
Greetings Sharon,
Many thanks for another special devotional. Yes, our God is truly awesome in creating so many outstanding sites in the universe and in His creation of everything and everyone on earth.
Blessings for the writings you submit.
(B.C.)
O well-done descriptions, Sharon! I can just follow along with your car as you tell us what you see outside! I have only visited Arizona once. What surprised me was the absence of people on the streets. It was like the place was abandoned. And then I set out for a walk and right away I understood the reason why. My goodness it was hot! And being from Alaska, hot has never been a problem to me. Till then. Now when I am cold, I just think of Arizona. Thanks for your continued sharing of your inspirations.
Sharon, thank you!
God is so beautiful! I see Him everywhere in nature! I love to paint and create, and the desire never goes away even after finishing something, I need to do something else. I believe God is the same way. He never stops creating! Each day is another opportunity to see His new ‘work’, a new never before seen sunrise, new never before flowers! a wonderful never before seen sunset! My daughter and I especially love the sunrises and sunsets…she will often comment that “God has outdone Himself painting this one mom!” or “mom, God makes such beautiful colours!”
IN any case, your devotional made me smile and bless God. so, Thank you!
Be blessed, be a blessing.
Dear Sharon
I felt compelled to comment on your beautiful devotional as I too am a fan of God’s creative coloring book of nature. I could somewhat picture your drive to your Mt Home and the drastic changes in scenery. I could imagine those tall pine trees as you arrive under that shade from the intense sun and the welcome splash of color from the flowers. In our Covid temporary world I look forward to a break from my city life in the DC metro to that change in scenery one day.
I love to photograph flowers and architecture in long Covid walks and have taken 1000 pictures since March 16 when our world changed.
God bless you and know you made a difference in my day to appreciate your vision. Continue to enjoy God’s wonders and share your stories.
Have a blessed end of summer as we await a vaccine and move forward in our changing lives.
(DC)
An inspiring message for these troubled times.
Hi Sharon,
I think your devotional is well summed up in the lovely hymn, “This is my Father’s world.”
The next line is so suitable to the times we are living in, with all the fear the enemy is pounding onto God’s people.
“I rest me in the thought.” The emphasis being on the word “REST”. He is still, and always will be in charge.
Thanks for reminding us that this is my Father’s world and He works out everything for our good.
God bless you and know you made a difference in my day to appreciate your vision. Continue to enjoy God’s wonders and share your stories.
Have a blessed end of summer as we await a vaccine and move forward in our changing lives.
(DC)
Good afternoon Sharon,
A good devotional.
God as creator for sure, we can see it all around us every day.
Thank you for those good words.