Next time a sunrise steals your breath or a meadow of flowers leaves you speechless, remain that way. Say nothing and listen as heaven whispers, “Do you like it? I did it just for you.”
Max Lucado
I listened to a podcast from Vertical Ministries at Baylor (sic ‘em!!) recently answering the question “Why do we wonder when people are starving?” Isn’t it impractical and an inefficient use of the time the Lord has given us to sit and stare at stars and sunsets when there is work to be done?
To answer this, pastor Austin Fischer looked to Genesis 1-a highly debated chapter of the Bible. Different groups of people have different opinions on whether it should be interpreted figuratively or literally, what it means in regards to the age of our universe, where the dinos went, etc. The pastor explained that while this chapter is argued scientifically, everyone can agree that there is a certain cadence and rhythm to it.
David Bentley Hart said this:
Creation is a wonderfully wrought hymn to the power of the Almighty. The order of the universe is a kind of musical harmony gathered by an inward rhythm and accord pervaded by an essential symphony. Creation is a magnificent music whose measure and refrains rise up to the pleasure and glory of God.
He continued to explain that we experience the reflection of the love, beauty, and delight of God that is creation when we see a sunset and just can’t take in the infinite horizon of color, when a crimson leaf breaks off the only tree that is ever known and takes a ride on the chilly November breeze, when an old couple walks across the street holding hands, or when a newborn baby smiles at you and you think your heart might literally explode at the joy and wonder of it all. It is in those moments that you get it. You see it. You hear it. You hear all the pain and all the hurt and all the suffering, and there’s a lot of it, but behind it all, you hear another song; a truer song. You hear the song of creation and you understand, if only for a moment, that every breath in and every breath out is a gift.
It is so unnecessary and extravagant and unexpected that all you can do is fall on your knees stuttering and stammering as you search for the right words, and when you find them, all you can say is “wow” because that’s what worship is: falling on your knees at the beauty of it all, at the glory of a god who would do something like this, and saying “wow.” And realizing that God doesn’t need any of this, but He wants it, makes it all the more beautiful.
French novelist Antoine de Saint-Exupery said, basically, if you want people to build a ship, don’t assign them tasks or chores. If you do, they’ll build, but it will be halfhearted and they’ll eventually quit. Rather, take them to the edge of the ocean. Let them feel the sand beneath their feet, the breeze on their face, and the tide around their ankles; let them hear the swell of the waves; let them look around in wonder and awe at the infinite blue horizon.
Take people to the edge of the ocean. Show it to them let it grab them let it grab their dreams and their imaginations and they will build you a ship because they long for the endless immensity of the sea.
So, while we have a deep need to be physically and emotionally filled, and God knows this, we have an equally deep need to be left existentially speechless. We don’t just need to be fed and feel happy; we need to feel wonder. And that’s why even in a world filled with empty stomachs and broken hearts, we need to see the stars shining, the sun setting, the ocean swelling, the baby smiling; we need to take a break from our tasks and chores and walk to the edge of the ocean and hear the infinite song of creation and fall on our knees at the sheer wonder, surprise, and beauty of it all and say “wow.”
Songs can do a lot. They can change your opinion or your perspective or your mood. But what if you let one change your life? What if you listened to the song of creation on repeat for the rest of your life, letting it sink into every fiber of your being to the point that you begin to sing that same song? You sing and you sing and you sing until you forget you’re even singing because it has become who you are. What if you let the song of the creation be the song that you get stuck in your head and you just can’t shake? What if you let it move in you and move through you? What if you let your life sing this song and reflect the joy and wonder of the Almighty? How differently would you serve, love, and live if you were tuned into the song of creation, the most beautiful song of worship to ever exist?
I am currently living and working in Tacloban (pronounced tock-low-bin) City, a place that, just over three years ago, got hit by category-five Typhoon Yolanda. The people here are still rebuilding and reviving the community that was once very much alive, but even amongst the song of destruction and devastation that is being sung all over Tacloban, God is still on the throne, and all of creation is still singing His glorious song; we just have to pay attention. I pray that I never forget to pay attention to the truest song I will ever hear. I pray that I join in with all of creation and live my life fallen flat on my face, worshipping the One who did all of this just for me.
