From Edified! some edifying thoughts.
“For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy. How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep!”
Psalm 92:4,5 ESV
O Lord God, you are marvelous and we see this in your creation, with the dizzying array of size, shape, variety, color and texture in plants, animals and landscapes. You have shared with us your love of beauty, your graceful shaping, your wisdom in practicality, your intelligence in complexity.
I think about the million optic nerve cells in a developing baby in the womb; at one point, two sets of nerves grow simultaneously, one set from the eye and one set from the brain, joining at the right place, with each individual nerve finding and joining with its corresponding partner. This perfect weaving brings to our brains an exact image of what is before us. And all this is done in the way you designed.
You made our bodies to be so effective, so compact, so efficient, creating some parts to be amazingly multifunctional: mouths for speaking, tasting, eating, breathing, smiling and kissing. Legs for locomotion, lounging, lifting, lugging and loving.
You build into our being the ability to enjoy a wide range of experiences. You give us the joy of running, of relaxing, of sleeping, of walking in a snowfall, of feeling the warm sun, the crisp cold air, the tingle of frost, the drumming of rain.
You have given us the delight of flowers with colors vivid and gentle, deep and pastel, having tiny beautiful details within, gorgeous shapes without. I think of the rich red and yellow of a tulip’s petals, sheltering the white stem within, like a lady wearing her three-pointed crown, surrounded by her deep brown guards—a tiny world of beauty, waiting to be discovered.
You have made joy available everywhere. Think of the joy of a new born colt, staggering to his feet, shaking off the surprise of birth, running at his mother’s side. Think of the exuberance of a shooting star, streaking across the night sky. Or the contentment of a crescent moon in winter, cradled low in the West in the bare arms of upstretched winter tree branches. Think of the happy croak of frogs on a warm spring night. Or the joy of a dog, greeting his master in the morning, tail wagging, tongue hanging out, smiling with anticipation of the day.
Your works give us joy, O Lord, they are marvelous, revealing to us your greatness, wisdom and beauty. And this is only a dim reflection of what it will be like with you in Heaven, where all will be more of everything: more beautiful, more vivid, more delightful, more tasty, more varied, more vibrant—for there will be no twisting of sin to mar our vision or your creation.
I exalt you, Lord God for your thoughts from which creation flowed, I glorify you for your marvelous and meticulous works. You are worthy, Lord Jesus, of eternal exaltation, of endless adoration, of timeless, whole-hearted worship. To you be glory in my life today and forever.
Prayer: “Lord, I stand in awe of you. May my thoughts, actions and words reflect this awe today to all those around me. Amen.”
