I suppose it isn’t a surprise that I tend to find God so easily in nature. After all, before humans built structures and cities and societies, God was present in the natural world. Among some of my favourite images of God (Jesus the Traveller, God of surprises, Jesus the Bartender…) is God the Artist.
Walking through a state park the other day I walked past a beautiful pond covered in thousands of lily pads in differing shades of green, yellow, red, and orange. They were all packed in next to each other creating a mosaic of colours in the lake as if mosaic tiles forming an abstract masterpiece. It was so beautiful I had to stop and capture a picture of it. The beauty of such things like this—like stunning sunsets, fields of wildflowers, picturesque seasides—reveal to us a Creator who loves beauty and art. And we can see a glimpse of that God in ourselves! Humans have always been good artists and creators. Whether it’s the art of designing a building or the art of creative cooking, human beings have this characteristic of God. It makes the idea of being made in God’s image more meaningful. Just look at the goodness of God’s qualities that we share—love, delight, creativity, desire, hope.
This passage from Job illustrates God’s power, but you can read in it the beauty of God’s creativity:
Who closed the gates to hold back the sea when it burst from the womb of the earth? It was I who covered the sea with clouds and wrapped it in darkness.
Daylight makes the hills and valleys stand out like the folds of a garment, clear as the imprint of a seal on clay. The light of day is too bright for the wicked and restrains them from doing violence. Have you been to the springs in the depths of the sea? Have you walked on the floor of the ocean?
Have you ever visited the storerooms, where I keep the snow and the hail? Have you been to the place where the sun comes up, or the place from which the east wind blows? Who waters the dry and thirsty land, so that grass springs up?
Can you guide the stars season by season and direct the Big and the Little Dipper?
(Job 38:8-9, 14-16, 22, 24, 27, 32, GNT)
Given the destruction and violence present in the world, it’s hard to believe that we are made in the image of God. But if we can pause to recognise those God-qualities already inherently within us, we discover the human potential for good. God the Artist who lives within us all means we have the means for creative change, creative love, creative reconciling—creative because we can create new things, better societies, more loving families. God says, “See, I make all things new.” (Rev 21) We harness that creative power symbolised by the mosaic I saw on the lake.
How do you use your creative power to bless the world?
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Music by Kevin MacLeod
Beautiful reflection! Beholding the beauty of nature is beholding the beauty and awesomeness of God!