Creation is empty in and of itself. It can’t heal a wounded heart. But in another sense, there’s a fullness that creation points to. Creation is a beautiful gift that can supplement our faith. Here are three ways that creation can encourage us in our walk with God.
Let creation point you to Christ
As believers, our eyes have been opened. That means we know that everything was made through Him and for Him (Col. 1:16–18, Rom. 11:36). Everything was made for His glory, including creation (Ps. 19:1–6).
When you go outside and you see the details in the petals of a flower, or the instincts of a hawk waiting on its prey, or when the sun is annoyingly glaring in your eyes when you’re driving down the road and you forgot your sunglasses … think about Christ. It’s all about Him. Creation loses its beauty when we forget its beginning and end — which is Christ.
Let the glories of creation remind you of what’s to come — find a secret place
I routinely visit what I’ve thought of as “my secret place.” It’s a place on a rock by a gentle stream. I go there to spend time with my Maker and refresh my soul and spirit. It’s about a 40-minute drive from where I live, so it’s quite the event. I look forward to this time. I can commune with God anywhere, because God is omnipresent. But going to this beautiful place gives me a glimpse of what life abundant looks like. I can taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps. 34:8). It reminds me of the day when all will be well. There’s this great peace and calm that I find there. There’s this beauty that quiets my spirit. There is rest for my weary soul. Silence. Stillness. Joy. It reminds me of what I can look forward to, the inheritance I have in Christ (1 Pet. 1:3–9). It’s just a tiny sliver of what I imagine the Garden of Eden may have been like and the promise of hope that we eagerly await (see Rom. 8:18–25).
Creation is a gift. Use it to awaken your hope of the pleasures of eternity with Christ (Ps. 16). Even Jesus went to a mountain to pray on different occasions (Matt. 14:23, Lk. 22:39–40, Lk. 6:12).
Pursue holiness
I’ve often thought negatively about God’s glory. The fact that God commands us to praise Him eats at our self-centeredness (Is. 42:8, Is. 43:7, Ps. 150). But one day, I drove up to a mountain during sunset along with others and we listened to the Sermon on the Mount read over us.
As I listened, I changed my mind about God’s glory. If you listen to the Sermon on the Mount in its entirety, you’re left with the thought that God is perfect. And that’s not just my interpretation, He says it Himself. “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). Through and through, God is perfect; He is holy in every intention and in every motivation. He is crystal-clear perfection. That’s why, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus isn’t only concerned with the actions of murder or adultery, but about the heart of anger and lust. His perfection is mind-blowing.
As I heard the Sermon on the Mount and stared at the glorious sky and mountains in front of me, I reconsidered … God’s glory is good. God’s glory is beautiful. God’s glory is the epitome of what my soul longs for. We live in a physical world. And one day He will make all things new — not just us, but all creation. So, let His glory (which we’re reminded of by creation) ignite a passion in you to pursue holiness, a holiness initiated and sustained by His grace. And remember just how small you really are.
“And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!’ … And I said: ‘Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’” (Is. 6:3, 5).
Conclusion
Let creation point you to Christ, let creation remind you of what’s to come, and let His perfection encourage you to pursue holiness as we live in the “already-not yet,” awaiting His return (Rev. 21, 1 Cor. 15:12–58)! “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Cor. 13:12).
Read part one, “The Emptiness of Creation and the Fullness of Christ: Five Truths About Creation.”