Summertime: Growing in Intimacy with God Through Creation

Written By Lori G. Melton

God is never far away.

He's as close as the bird singing outside your window, the breeze flowing through the trees, and the wildflowers blooming in the field. He is equally accessible to all—the rich and the poor, the famous and unknown, the young and the old. He's on every continent and in every nation. You can find Him in the busiest city or on the quietest country road.

No matter where you are, He's placed His creation all around you, assuring you of His presence and revealing who He is.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands... Yet their voice goes out into all the earth." Psalm 19:1,4

God Still Speaks Through Creation

The testimonies we hear at the Sanctuary confirm this, including this one from a recent retreater. His face glowed as we chatted before he headed home, and he talked about how God had faithfully ministered to him. Later, I discovered this entry he had written in the cabin journal:

"I walked, spent time outdoors. I heard God speak to me through the babbling of the creek. And I sat for a long time watching two squirrels scurrying around and tussling together, and then heard the Spirit, 'See, Joel, you don't have to take yourself so seriously.'" —Joel Hogan

Or this one from my dear friend Joanne, who had been struggling through a low season and questioning her worth. During a 24-hour retreat in early spring, she spent much of her time walking the trails. Everything around her looked dead and gray—just as she felt inside.

Then, coming around a bend, a meadow opened before her with clusters of bright yellow daffodils. God's still, small voice assured her that His life was still within her, even amid the deadness she felt.

Then the Spirit reminded her of a poem He had given her years earlier during another difficult season and impressed upon her that she was, and always would be, His daffodil.

With Joanne's permission, I share this beautiful expression of God's love through creation.

Your Daffodil

God what are your plans for me?

your daffodil waiting to bloom

full of anticipation and hope

waiting for you to push me through the dark, cold earth

to enter the world with the perkiness you've nurtured

to dazzle brightly in the gray March landscape

to declare I am a survivor.

the bitter winds and cold won't shake my petals free

or bend my stem or trample me to the ground.

I will proudly prevail

resilient to become the glorious color of spring

you have planted me to be.

—Joanne Ewald (You can read ​Joanne’s article here.​)

God Speaking Through the Seasons

In every season, God reveals Himself through creation if we take the time to notice—to look, to listen, to smell, and to taste.

Scripture tells us this repeatedly.

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen..." Romans 1:20

The spiritual giants have testified to it throughout history as well.

Thomas Aquinas, Dominican friar, theologian, and passionate follower of Jesus, taught: "Sacred writings are bound in two volumes—that of creation and that of Holy Scripture."

Recently, I learned that this idea became known as the "Two-Book Theology":

"The paired-volume thinking came to be known throughout the centuries as the Two-Book Theology, which holds that the presence of God is best apprehended through the tandem reading of creation—God's original text—alongside Holy Scripture." —Barbara Mahany, ​The Book of Nature: The Astonishing Beauty of God’s First Sacred Text​

Some Christians become uneasy when we talk about experiencing God through creation because others have drifted into error—either worshiping creation rather than the Creator or believing they no longer need the Church because they can “commune with God” on a hiking trail.

The trickiest deceptions are those that are just one degree away from the truth.

Those are real dangers, but they are not what we’re talking about here.

As Mahany explains, growing closer to God through creation, "... is not to be confused with pantheism's point that God equals nature... but that God reveals and speaks to us through nature."

Learning from the Giants

Scientist, educator, and man of prayer George Washington Carver credited many of his over 400 discoveries to time spent in prayer with God in the woods before dawn each morning. He viewed nature as God's "broadcasting station."

I've been thinking about this often because of my giant this year, George MacDonald.

As a young boy in northern Scotland, he spent countless hours walking the countryside and connecting with God through creation. Later, as life took him to England and Italy, he continued answering God's invitation to spend time with Him outdoors.

One morning after waking with a dream freshly imprinted upon his mind, he walked for hours. He returned home burning with the concept for his next book and a vivid image of the main character—a blond-haired boy with piercing blue eyes.

Sir Gibbie has ministered to readers for more than a century.

A Summer Invitation

As we head into summer—with opportunities to spend more time outdoors, soaking in sunshine on a trail, putting our hands in the soil of our gardens, feeling the sand between our toes, watching fireflies light up the dusky sky, or gazing at the stars around a campfire—may we delight in God all around us and marvel at His presence with the family and friends sharing those experiences beside us.

Resources Worth Noticing:

A few resources you may want to keep handy as you meander through the season:

Worth Remembering:

"Some people, in order to discover God, read books. But there is a great book: the very appearance of created things. Look above you! Look below you! God never wrote that book with ink." —St. Augustine

So thankful to be journeying together,
Lori

Lori G. Melton
Next

When a Book Becomes a Mentor — Reading as Discipleship with Sue Donaldson