Wow! Wow! Wow! What a sweet gift it is to be in Africa! The last three months in Africa have been an unparalleled blessing. Jesus has drawn me in closer to His heart in more ways than I ever could have imagined. I’ve found so much solitude, rest, and peace here, even when ministry is heart wrenching and just too much for my little mind to comprehend and process. Despite some of the most emotionally exhausting and challenging ministry moments, my time with Jesus has made me feel like I’m living in Psalm 23 dream, being led by Jesus, our Shepherd and Prince of Peace, from one quiet stream to the next.
These past two months, I’ve been studying creation/nature and the Lord has been opening my eyes to how much of Him can be seen through His beautiful creation. Bear with me as I try to put a few of my thoughts into somewhat articulate words about how the Creator and the Breather of the Stars has revealed himself to me in new ways through His ever so captivating beauty:
Jesus created the Universe. Wow! Can we just take a moment to let this soak in? He created the mountains, the open fields of wild flowers, the forests, the rivers, the stars, the heavens, all of creation (WHAT!!!) to be seen by our eyes (DOUBLE WHAT!!?)!!
Jesus so longs to speak to us and reveal Himself to us through the beauty He’s made for us. One of the most humbling and awe-filled things about our Creator is that He went above and beyond, so far above and beyond, when He created the World so that we would have something to revel at and a way to tangibly see His wonders every time we open our eyes! He could have made this World one giant mound of dirt! He could have made the World without mountains, valleys, rivers, stars, sunrises and sunsets, but He wanted us see His beauty and splendor every time we opened our eyes. One of my favorite song lyrics is: Our once barren world now brims with life so that we may fall in love every time we open our eyes!! He created the Universe, full of life, so that we could fall more in love with Him every single time we open our eyes! What if we lived in such a way that every time we opened our eyes, we fell more in love with our Creator?
WHAT IF…
Every time we saw the stars, the Hosts of Heaven, we thought of the One who breathed the stars? Or that the Star Breather doesn’t let a single star go missing, even though they are infinite in number? Or that He created the stars to shine in one of the darkest places to ever exist? (Psalm 33:6, 147:4, 148:3-5, Isaiah 40:26)
Every time we looked at the moon, the Queen of the Heavens, we thought of the One who brings light to every darkness we face? Or that the Moon, representing the Light of the World, provides guidance and direction for us even in the darkest of nights? (Psalm 8:3, 148:3, Psalm 136:9)
Every time we saw the sun rising we thought of the One who makes it rise and fall every day? Or that the sun rises to give light and nourishment to the Earth, just like Jesus does? Or that dawn is created to break the darkness of the night? Or that the Sun (SON) overcomes darkness each and every day to show us more of Jesus’ glory? (Psalm 19:6, 148:3, 2 Samuel 23:4, Job 30:28, Rev 1:16 & 10:1)
Every time the rain fell we thought of the One who refreshes and nourishes our souls? Or that the painfully beautiful storms in our lives enable us to growth higher and taller, closer to the Heavens and the Sun (SON)? Or that at the very scent of the Living Water allows us to come alive? (Psalm 147:7-8, 72:6, 68:9, 104:8, Heb. 6:7)
Every time we set our eyes on the mountains we thought of our everlasting God being our dwelling place, our refuge in time of danger? Or that the One who created and gives us access to the gates to Heaven gave us a place to worship and find stability and healing in? (Hab. 3:6, Psalm 30: 7, 95:4, 104:8, Mark 5:11)
Every time we saw the clouds we thought of the Lord painting the sky for us? We thought of the His bride, the cloud of believers, made to glorify the Perfect Artist and Painter of the Sky? (Psalm 50:6, 104:3)
Every time we saw the trees we thought of how the Giver of Life created the trees to make the Earth beautiful and to show us a reflection of Him? Or that the Life Breather asks the trees to clap their hands for Him? Or that leaves falling signify healing and newness in our lives? (Isaiah 55:12, Gen, 2:9, Rev 22:2)
What if we remembered that the Creator of the Universe, the One who made the Earth more beautiful than I could have ever even crafted in my mind, made these things for our eyes? That He created the World so that we could see and love Him more?
What if we marveled at creation in such a way that we thought about how each and every piece of creation, from the tallest, most beautiful mountain to the smallest wildflower, was made to praise and glorify the King of Kings?
What if remembered that nothing was made outside of the Lord’s hand and that nothing existed before Him?
What if saw each and every breath as a gift?
God made creation knowing how beautiful it is and (somehow) still believes that we, His broken, fragmented Children of Light, are far more beautiful than anything He’s ever made!!
How humbling and beautiful it is to be filled, loved, and known by the Ultimate Creator, the One who breathed the stars, stretched out the heavens like a tent, asks the trees to clap their hands for him, commands the mountains to rise for Him and valleys to sink down for Him, breaks the darkness of the night each morning, and paints the skies for us. Despite all of His glory, He is MINDFUL of us!
I pray that He’d teach us all to slowly sip in and revel in every breath He’s given us. I pray we’d never lose our wonder for Him and His creation. I pray that each time we open our eyes we’d fall more in love with the One who everything points back to. I pray that we’d know that the Star Breather calls us his Son/Daughter. I pray that we’d know that the One who commands all of creation has purchased our citizenship permanently. I pray that we’d know that the One who paints the skies each day and sets the moon and stars in place is mindful of us, despite how small and insignificant we are in this big World. We are so significant to the Creator of it ALL!
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them [mankind] a little lower than angels and crowned them with glory and honor.” – Psalm 8:3-5
This is a really, really great song about nature. One of my favorite, if you want to listen 🙂 Vapor by the Liturgist
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This month, my team and I are in Tsumeb, Namibia working at an orphanage for little girls with HIV and AIDS. It’s humbling and heartbreaking, but such a treasure to show the girls a fraction of the Father’s love for each of them. On February 27th, my squad and I will be leaving the “Big A” (aka Africa) and traveling to the other “Big A” (aka Southeast Asia)! My first month of ministry will be on the island of Penang, Malaysia working with YWAM! Woah am I living in a dream or what?! So excited for how the Lord will reveal Himself next month!
