The Heavens Declare God’s Glory, Will You?​

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” –   Job 12:7-10 ​

One evening I went out for a run at Labrador Park. At one point I followed a bend in the track next to the water, and was stopped by the sight of a brilliant sunset of many colours. Awestruck, I stood there gazing at this resplendent sight for many minutes. I barely noticed that other passing people also stopped, one by one, to look. We were united in our desire to cherish this splendid vision of the sky’s changing hues as the sun dipped below the horizon. Indeed, while we stood there, time itself seemed to slow down.​​

Resuming my jog, I offered heartfelt thanks to the Creator for this glorious sight. I felt uplifted and grateful just to have been there to see it. It was a precious time of intimacy with the Lord.​​

The Scripture quote above comes from the book of Job –a difficult part of the Bible to read, much less to dwell on.  Anguished from the hand of fate and seated amidst the rubble of his life, the protagonist Job questioned reality and whether it was possible to go on. Today, the ravages of the ongoing Covid pandemic have caused trauma and suffering to humanity. Other than sickness and loss of life, livelihoods have been lost, sickness and loss of life, livelihoods have been lost, people been isolated from one another, family relationships have unravelled, and personal anxieties and insecurities have come to the fore. We are constantly asking questions such as “Why Lord?” and “When will this end?”.​

Everywhere we look in nature, the constant testimony is that Almighty GOD is still in charge. By His grace the earth still turns, giving us daily views of sunrise and sunset. Birds chirp in the trees, in our garden city. The national parks have been a lifeline for me and for many of us in the past year. Spending time outdoors either in solitude or with a friend, nourishes the soul in a special way. ​​

We can model our response to these trying times upon the many psalms of praise in the Bible, joining with nature in declaring that God deserves our worship at all times. He is to be praised regardless of our circumstances, whether all feels right in our little worlds or not. Nature also echoes the Bible in reminding us that GOD our Savior, has acted on our behalf, and continues to do so with every breath that we take. ​​

Friends, GOD controls even our darkest days. The next time you feel downcast and fearful, turn towards the sun and let Him meet you there in your pain, difficulty, struggle and doubts. In that every act of turning GOD-ward, rather than elsewhere, there is hope. Know that you are never alone. In our weakness is where we find Him to be our greatest Treasure and strength to face a new day.   

By brother Aaron Lee​​