11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. 12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice
God has blessed us with the beauty of His creation in the midst of these uncertain days of 2020. I think that in all of my summers in Wisconsin, I can never remember such warm pretty sunshine-filled days or bright peaceful nights as these. I wonder if all of you feel the same?
It seems our flowers have never looked so lovely nor the butterflies so prolific or even the creatures around our home in such abundance. Never in twenty years here, can I remember such consistent visits of multiple baby bunnies or the two sweet fawns with their mother making nightly visits just several yards away out our back window, dusk after dusk, or even such large numbers of turkeys skittering about in the mornings in that same spot, and countless birds.
The beauty of nature is a reprieve from our daily life. God said to Job in chapter 37:14-16:
14 “Listen to this, O Job; Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God. 15 Do you know when God [a]dispatches them, And causes the light of His cloud to shine? 16 Do you know how the clouds are balanced, Those wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge?
Yes, God’s perfectly-made world (His wondrous works to consider): the beauty in nature and in all of His creation gives us a reason to pause (to stand still) and look to Him and remember where our help comes from, no matter what life’s circumstances seem to lay upon us.
I love to focus on Psalm 121:1-2:
1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
There is such comfort in these verses and by habit, they come to me so often as I walk my dog Brinklee and catch glimpses of wild flowers and the woods and Silver Creek rushing over rocks OR along the harbor with views along Lake Michigan that God so lovingly surprises us with through its ever-changing colors and moods…
It’s funny. At the beginning of the new year, I opened the cover of my 2020 Happy Planner which made the ironically bold statement, BEST DECADE EVER! How hopeful that sounds initially. And so positive.
We are not in control
Well, a whirlwind hit us all by the end of February 2020, and our daily lives read like some strange dystopian novel that continues even now. It would seem so confusing if we didn’t have God’s Word to reassure us that He is not confused by ANY of it. What should amaze us even more is that in the love He has for us, He told us these things WOULD and MUST take place.
It is a great comfort during these days of confusion on this earth to focus on the words of King Jehoshaphat with this simple prayer to our Heavenly Father who knows all:
We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on you. 2 Chron. 20:12
It is also a great comfort to “be still” and rest in the wonder of our Lord’s creation each and every day and find solace in those peaceful moments of quiet with Him in the midst of these sometimes very difficult days.
He is our Blessed Assurance. He is our Hope. This world cannot promise us a “best decade ever” (EVER), but our Heavenly Father tells us in the midst of all of these things we must look to Him, because we don’t know what to do. What a relief, He does know what to do! And in the meantime, I can always grab my dog and get lost in His beauty right out my front door to remind myself of this great unchanging truth as it brings calm in the midst of life’s storms.
Thank-you dear friend for joining me today.
