When I think about sharing Scripture, I often find myself turning to my own experiences rather than the typical Bible stories. Today, I will do the same, beginning with selected portions of Genesis chapter 1, which recounts God’s story to Moses about how and why He created the earth.
As the Lord spoke to Moses, He said, “Behold, I reveal to you concerning this heaven and this earth; write the words which I speak.” God declared, “I am the beginning and the end, the Almighty God. By My Only Begotten, I created these things.” Here, God begins to reveal how He and Jesus worked together to make this earth a magnificent place for humanity.
“In the beginning, I created the heaven and the earth upon which you stand.” (Genesis 1:1-2) By just the third verse, God has already revealed that He and His Son made not only the earth but also a place called Heaven.
We then skip to verse 20: “And God made the stars by His word and set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, the sun to rule over the day, and the moon to rule over the night, and to divide the light from darkness. And God saw that all that He made was good.”
I often find myself drawn to worship God as I learn more about our magnificent earth and the heavens. Two weeks ago, I set my alarm for 4:30 a.m. to allow me to wake up and watch a rare meteor display, predicted by astronomers to be a once-in-a-lifetime event—one that wouldn’t recur for nearly a century. It was meant to be a spectacular show, perhaps my only chance to see it. As I sat in my backyard, gazing upward, I found the sky to be beautiful, though not in the way I had hoped. Clouds filled much of the expanse, but occasional openings revealed bright stars. Just as predicted, a bright streak crossed the sky just before 5 a.m. I watched for 20 minutes and instead of seeing the hundreds as I should have, I saw 11. Despite the clouds obscuring much of the glory, I still cherished the sight.
God tells us that He is a creator and that he is still creating. Our astronomers, I assume, will agree with this, because we keep making stronger telescopes that can see farther than ever before. Perhaps what we view now has always been there, but even as we look millions of light-years into the cosmos, we find no end to God’s creation.
Reflecting on these wonders, I am reminded of one of the most cherished drives I’ve ever taken. I live in a small town in Northern Ontario called New Liskeard, and I was taking one of my regular trips to North Bay to visit a doctor. The early morning drive was peaceful; windows down, I enjoyed the warm summer breeze as it swirled into the car, rustling the papers in the back seat. I had traveled this road countless times, but never alone. This journey felt like time spent alone with God.
As I drove alongside a familiar, unnamed lake I recalled that it has many faces and they can change with the blink of an eye. Sometimes it is glass smooth and reflections in the water are mirror perfect. Then God blows a gentle breath and the water starts to dance and the reflections disappear. Sometimes He blows just a little bit harder and we see angry looking whitecaps hammering the rocky shore. But, it was not just the water of this lake that caught my attention – it was also the horizon and how the massively bright glow of the soon-to-rise sun was igniting the sky and reflecting warm light on the clear water. Finally, the sun crept over the edge of the horizon, its smiling face peeking above distant hills and trees. I began to wonder “Why does the sun’s light shine so beautifully and bright even before it comes into sight”.
Encapsulated by the beauty in front of me, I pulled over and took a few moments to capture the scene in my memory. There were God’s birds, some flying just over the water and others floating peacefully on the lake occasionally dipping below the surface to dive for a breakfast minnow treat. Although I know many people who love driving in the Canadian Shield country, many more people I know would hate the drive, instead seeing it as a long and arduous unnecessary journey to see in-laws. No, we all do not enjoy God’s glory in the same way.
Have you ever paused to truly ponder God’s glory? Have you ever stopped your car to bask in the wonder around you? Have you taken time to thank Him for His many blessings?
During my solitary drive, a story from my past resurfaced. As a boy, I lived in a remote cabin on a farm, far from the closest town. I was excited to be able to listen to a radio for the very first time. It was a special occasion, there was to be a world champion boxing match on the radio that night and I had been invited by a neighbor who owned a radio, to join and listen to the announcer. However, we were not in luck. That night a massive thunderstorm rolled in that interfered with the archaic radio transmission and most of what they heard was static. Similar to my reaction to seeing a glimpse of the meteor shower on a day much later in my life, I was thrilled to have had the chance to experience a part of the world that I had never seen. Later, my father purchased a radio of our own. It was powered by three massive batteries that could not be recharged. Batteries were expensive then, so listening to the radio became a family time and was strictly rationed for special occasions.
In contrast to today, where technology isolates us with distractions like email, videos and social media, that radio brought my family together. I experienced God’s glory beyond what was visible, realizing the world’s vastness. As I grew and saw more of life, I often thought, “How amazing is God’s creation—even before it becomes visible.”
God has gifted us a wondrous world, one that showcases His hand. I wonder how many of us truly appreciate all that’s been given.
The Gospel of Luke reminds us: “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.” (Luke 2:8-9) Though afraid, the angel reassured them, announcing news of great joy about the Savior born that day, Christ the Lord.
God has prepared both this earth and the heavens for us—even before we saw them. He also sent His Son Jesus to prepare an eternal place for us, once again even before we behold it.
Indeed, God has crafted a wondrous and glorious world. Find time to stop, see it, and thank Him for his love.
Earl Pirie was my father-in-law. He was born in rural northern Ontario in 1929 and he left us to be with Jesus in 2012 – He was a gentle gem of a man and he is loved and missed. He was also a pastor and left behind a wonderful collection of stories and sermons. This is one of his stories. I have tried do my best to give his words justice as I share them with you but I wanted it known that Earl is the author. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have.
