“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or power: all things were created by him, and for him:” (Colossians 1:16)

In a high tech world like ours, where time is the essence, we have become very conditioned to instant response, satellite and space travel and multiple kinds of media which have given all of us very high levels of expectation. Most of the time, we just take the beauty and extravagance of the world for granted and we do not marvel over much anymore.

Children are easily impressed and are often filled with wonder at things and people. Their eyes light up, big grins break out on their faces and their mouths open, as they are filled with wonder at new and exciting experiences. It is this childlike wonder - the joy, the excitement, the curiosity that is ours to enjoy that we so often and so easily lost in our walk with the Lord.

Questions such as: “Is there a God?” and “Can we believe that there is purpose and design in the universe” are always on the minds of scientists and theologians. They can speculate and they can speak dogmatically, but they have no authoritative answers to these questions. The answers lie “beyond physics.” Without the Bible, scientists are baffled.

Creation had a beginning, and it was God who brought it into being. The Bible opens with the simple statement, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Gen 1:1). If you believe that, you can believe everything else that follows. If you reject that statement, you will also deny other cardinal truth in the Scriptures. The Bible alone tells us where everything came from, why everything exists, and what lies ahead. We do not need to listen to the speculations of world-famous thinkers to find answers to the question of life. We just need to humbly and reverently study the Word of God. There we will find rest for our mind and peace for our soul.

Where did everything come from? Genesis Chapters 1 & 2 reveal all to us. For what purpose does it exist? Psalm 19:1 says “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” What lies ahead? 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 tells us “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

In the study of the Book of Psalms, we discover numerous times the psalmist declared that God has “love” and “compassion” for man, the animals, the plants, the sun, the stars, the mountains and the oceans which He has created and His works of nature are praised everywhere as wonderful. God’s revelation of Himself to us through the nature world is captured in the beautiful hymn “I Sing the Mighty Power of God” written by Isaac Watts:

I sing the mighty power of God
That made the mountains rise,
That spread the flowing seas abroad
And built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained
The sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at His command,
And all the stars obey.

I sing the goodness of the Lord
That filled the earth with food;
He formed the creatures with His word
And then pronounced them good.
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed
Where’er I turn my eye:
If I survey the ground I tread,
Or gaze upon the sky!

There’s not a plant or flower below
But makes Thy glories known;
And clouds arise and tempests blow
By order from Thy throne;
While all that borrows life from Thee
Is ever in Thy care,
And everywhere that man can be,
Thou, God, art present there.

How majestic, how wonderful and how marvellous is our God’s creation. The creation with its amazing balance, variety and beauty is inspiring because it reflects the infinite wisdom and the power of the creator, our God. Even when we look at night at the vastness of outer space and the sheer size of the universe or picture the Grand Canyon with its majestic heights, its cutting valleys for flowing rivers and its stretched-out vast plains it compels us to stand in silent wonder before the Creator.

Many of us have little balance in our life when it comes to enjoying God’s creation, and we miss a great deal when we ignore the wonder of creation. Sometimes we just get caught up in the hard work, the busy schedule, the long days, and we lose the wonder of that God calls us to serve Him. When we lose the wonder of God’s creation, we lose a lot of the wonder of who God is.

Have you lost the wonder of God’s creation? If so, take some time to sit and look around you at the beauty of the world and recover the wonder of creation. When you live in the wonder of God’s creation, it will do many wonderful things for you. You will acknowledge the power of God in you and give Him credit for all that you do and all that you have. You will focus on all the good things in your life instead of the negatives. Most importantly, you will look at everything from God’s perspective.

In the Kingdom of God, every kind of creature has its own structure for its own created purpose as 1 Corinthians 15: 38 & 39 tell us “But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.”

Creation is made by God and for God. Thus, life is not about using and asking God to help us with what we feel is our purpose. Rather, life is about letting God guide us and use us for His purpose. So, let us “...seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33).

Dn Yaw Chiew Tan

More Lively Hope

© Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church
14 Bedford Square, Colonel Light Gardens, South Australia 5041