God’s Beautiful World

Is there ever a time when you feel closer to God than when you’re out in nature? For me, the answer is no. If I’m on the shore of the ocean or one of our Great Lakes and can’t see the other side; it reminds me of God’s greatness, his power and what a wonderful Creator he is.

Walking through a dense forest and listening to the noisy quiet of it all, also brings me closer to him and I feel his presence.

Genesis 1: 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

God designed nature so that each year we will get a new crop of fruits and vegetables. One way he provides for us is through nature.

When people talk about global warming, this next verse comes to mind. This was written after the great flood of Noah.

Genesis 8:22 “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”

Yes, there are storms, floods and natural disasters, but over-all the seasons just continue as they always have. My humble opinion is that until we are in the last seven years, we won’t have the extremes that the globalists are warning us about.

Leviticus 18:28 And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.

Yikes! Okay, okay. I don’t think I want the land vomiting me out, so I won’t defile it! God wants us to take care of the beautiful world he gave us. That was his warning not to defile the land.

Leviticus 25:3-5  For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest.

God gives us a day of rest and he gives the land a year of rest also! I never even knew the land got tired. Huh. Go figure. (Yes, I know that minerals in the soil can become depleted and the soil does need rest.)

Numbers 35:33 Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it.

I’m sure we all agree that polluting the land is wrong. God was the very first environmentalist. I never really thought about blood polluting the land and that the land needs atonement. Interesting.

Joshua 14:15 Then the land had rest from war.

We need to stop fighting! We’re wearing the land out! Yes, I’m joking, but war truly does devastate the land.

Joshua 24:27 “See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the LORD has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.”

Hmmm. Do the stones have ears? I don’t think so. I’m sure this was meant figuratively, but can you imagine the stories it could tell if it did!

2 Chronicles 36:21 The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah.

God takes his sabbath rests for the land seriously. They weren’t listening to God and did not obey giving the land its rests. During the 70-year exile, the land got the rest that it needed and deserved.

Isaiah 55:12 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

I love this verse! When the wind is really blowing and you look up at the trees, you can see the branches swaying back and forth. It looks like they’re dancing. Julie Andrews used to sing “The hills are alive with the sound of music.” I guess she had ears to hear this symphony. Nature definitely does produce joyful and rhythmic sounds.

Revelation 12:16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.

We have a future promise here of the earth helping “the woman.” This is comforting because the last seven years won’t be easy, but we have God’s promise that he will be with us, helping us through it.

Genesis 1:29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

Not only does God give us food to eat, but much of the fruits and vegetables are delicious and they’re replenished each year. Can we ask for more?

Yes! We can! Listen to what it will be like in the age to come.

Revelation 22:1-3 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.

Imagine that! The crops are for the healing of the nations. No more drugs with side effects. No more curse. No more pollution or anything bad. It will be so beautiful; even more beautiful than this world was when it was first created. We’re even going to see colors we’ve never seen before. Amazing.

Just keep believing and we’ll see each other there some day!

Meet you at the pearly gates!