By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation, You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of the far-off seas; who established the mountains by His strength, being clothed with power; You who still the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the peoples. They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs; You make the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice. You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, for so You have prepared it.

—Psalm 65:5–9

As do many others, I love Psalms, especially the reminders of God’s majesty and His absolute perfection and wisdom as evidenced in His creation. It is amazing how often the psalmists and others use nature to point us to God’s nature. The bizarre look of the praying mantis, as well as the majesty of the Alps and Himalayas, reveals to us the wonder of God. A clear night under a desert sky proclaims the nature of God and His magnificence. The vastness of the oceans and the faithful rise and fall of their tides show us the divine control of an all- powerful God. Even the fearful power of a mighty earthquake or storm reveals to mankind its frailty and God’s majesty.

However, if we focus on man and all he has created, we can lose sight of this great truth. Concrete jungles of corruption and lust, power-hungry men and women climbing over one another up the ladder of success, and the envy of neighbor against neighbor over a new car or room addition are all distractions man has introduced into God’s majestic creation. It is so easy to get caught up in and swept away by these things.

When was the last time you just took a look at what God has created and praised Him for His glorious nature? I was driving with my wife recently when we crested a hill and before us sprawled the mighty Pacific Ocean. I stated aloud, “Boy, that’s a lot of water!” I can’t say she was duly impressed by my grasp of the obvious, but there is actually a lot more behind those words than the obvious understated truth. There is a matchless Creator who put that ocean there, and I see a small fraction of His greatness in it.

Consider today the nature of God displayed in nature all around you. Look at the sky and remember His vastness; marvel at the faithfulness of the sun and the moon in their orbits and let it remind you that He is faithful. God’s handiwork is everywhere. Look for reasons to praise Him today. It won’t take long to find them if you’ll get your eyes and mind off all man’s stuff that gets in the way!

Excerpt from “Body Builders” now available on Amazon.

BARRY STAGNER