Evidence of God’s fingerprints can be found in a myriad of places. So often, we think that to find God, we must search high and low, when in fact, His handiwork is all around us, and we have the opportunity to bear witness to reminders of His love. One of the most vivid places to experience reminders of God’s hand in the world is through nature.
1. God Is Creator of All
God is the Creator and Maker of all that is, was, and will be, as we are told in Hebrews 13:8. It is apparent in the very beginning lines of Genesis how His Word in command formed the birds, trees, and every stretch of land. It can be easy to forget that He is the Creator of more than just man, but how in all aspects and parts of creation, we can glean an understanding of God’s heart for His grand creation in humankind. Consider how He made the trees to produce fruit, nuts, and wood to be used by man, or how ecosystems work together in Divinely perfected harmony to serve a great purpose. Humankind may be the only creation made in the image of God, but all of creation holds value, worth, and importance because of the Maker of all such things.
2. Nature Sings His Praise
Consider the last time you stood still in nature and allowed yourself to become a spectator of the hallelujahs all of nature sings. Scripture reflects several times on how each part of nature seeks in its own self to praise its Creator. Isaiah 55:12 shares, “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” Nature sings its own song, which is one of worship, adoration, and praise to the Lord Most High. Perhaps this is why often, even in the loudness of birds chirping, trees rustling, or wind breezing, we can hear God all the clearer when embraced in the symphony of praise that is the sound of nature existing for Him and in recognition of God Himself.
3. Seasons
Through seasons we can see evidence of biblical themes for our own lives as well. King Solomon reminded us in Ecclesiastes 3 how life in itself is built for a time and seasons that change, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” In nature, we see how the heat waves of Summer suddenly welcome the breezes of the coming Autumn. Then just a short time later we see the seemingly hopeless dead of winter, the barren trees, and the fruitless ground suddenly burst forth with new life as Spring arises. Our lives are made in the same fashion. Rarely such times in our lives will coincide with the actual time periods of nature, but through the study and gleaned understanding of how seasons change and endure, we can shift our perspective of our own lives. For within each season, there holds a hope, but at times also a longing for what is to come. Within each season, there can be a joy in what is, but a knowledge of what is to come and respect that in its due time, each season and part of nature, in the same sentiment of life, makes the whole of the time spent here on earth. Seasons are reminders that life is ever-changing, but the Maker of all remains the same and constant.
4. We Can Learn from the Reliance Animals Have on God
Animals can teach us a great deal from their role within nature but also what it means to rely on God for provision and sustenance. Job 12:7-10 explains to us, “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? 10 In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”
Animals teach us that our most significant reliance must not be on other men, money, or anything but God. When our dependence is on God, we are in a place to receive instruction and direction on how we ought to operate and how we can live in such a way of obedience to receive from Him the good gifts He has to give us. Indeed, a man shall not eat if he does not work, but when the instruction on how to work, how to live, and what choices to make are placed before God for how He desires us to do so, it is then that we are allowing God to be our reliance, strength, the Lord of our lives. In the same way, consider how the bears of the earth rely on the instincts given to them by God on when to gather food for winter and when to rest. They exist in the flow set for them by God, and we ought to take a nod from nature in such things.
5. We Were Made for the Garden to Connect with God
The first place where man communed with God was the Garden of Eden. Eden was the only place where, for a time, marriage, man, and all that existed were perfect. It was only in the Fall of Man and man's choice to engage in sin that imperfection came about. Yet if we consider how God did not choose a grand city or a haven in the clouds but rather a Garden to connect with His image-bearers, then we can begin to understand what it means to really commune with God. Through nature, we can enter into a place where what exists is what He has made and what He keeps in sustenance, and although we can connect with God anywhere, nature holds a very special trait in that it is away from all that is man-made. We can also consider what it must have been like Pre-Fall for Adam and Eve to be in community and to do life fully with God, and to ask God how we can seek to do the same amid a fallen world. Nature is a gift to us from God where we can connect with Him.
Throughout nature and all of Creation, we can vividly see biblical reminders and reminders of the heart of God with every step. Be it from how the birds of the air live to the rooting systems of a tree; there is a metaphor, analogy, and revelation for us to gather and glean with and through God through His Holy Spirit. Ask God what He wants to reveal to you in nature, and be prepared to experience Him in a holy and organic way.
Cally Logan is an author and US History teacher from Richmond, Virginia. Her works have been featured on "The 700 Club Interactive," “Jesus Calling Blog,” and “Coffee and Bible Time,” among several notable outlets. She served as a mentor for young women for several years and enjoys challenging women to develop deeper relationships with God and to live fearlessly and authentically. She received her B.A. Degree from Regent University. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time in nature, having genuine chats over coffee, and woodworking. Her new book, The Wallflower That Bloomed, is available everywhere now. Connect with Cally: @CallyLogan Instagram CallyLogan.com