The Heavens Declare

“Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” (Psalm 139:14b)

How is it that we can stand on the beach, looking at the ocean, and just know how big God is? Or how can we be on top of a mountain, looking out for miles, and feel a little bit closer to Him? When we see firsthand His amazing works, it’s much easier for us to recognize God’s fingerprints on them. Our soul literally perks up when we’re in the presence of something bigger than we could create. Something larger than life, you might say.

Last week, my family went to the beach for our last summery stand. From the place where we stayed, the beach was a quick quarter-mile jaunt down the road, and each day we traveled down and back at least once. It never failed that when we rounded the last corner and up over the dunes, I was taken aback by a glorious sky. I just repeated the first verse of Psalm 19 over and over: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. What a beautiful expanse that God has seen fit to adorn with color, light, clouds, and movement. Even on the days (there were several) where the clouds were numerous and a storm was on the horizon, I was stunned by the magnitude and beauty of a thing I see every single day, just in smaller relief. We all probably typically see only a tiny slice of the sky-pie.

I wonder how often, in our lives, we fail to be stunned by the big picture because we are bound to the tiny slices of the pie that are more easily seen. I mean, it isn’t often for many of us that we get to really stand back, and take a good long look in multiple directions to see how it all works together… to see the beauty we are standing directly under, if only we could see the whole thing! I don’t have a solution for you; no tricks that I know of can make us see what God is up to in the long haul of each individual. But I know this: our Creator makes beautiful things. He loves, cares, woos, and draws near. He paints pictures and weaves stories. When we place our trust in Him, we are only seeing the tiny slice, but we can KNOW He is Lord of life and light. Those are the things He is up to. Those are the things we can count on. Those are the moves He is making. Never doubt that even though you can only see through what seems a small window in any given moment, that’s just a glimpse of the tremendous provision for you that God has already orchestrated!