Finding Resolve in God's Creation Part 3
Psalm 147 NIV
Praise the Lord.
How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!
The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.
Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.
The Lord sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground.
Sing to the Lord with grateful praise; make music to our God on the harp.
He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills.
He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.
His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.
Extol the Lord, Jerusalem; praise your God, Zion.
He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you.
He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.
He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes.
He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast?
He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.
He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel.
He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws.
Praise the Lord.
Welcome to the third installment of “Finding Resolve in Creation.” Out of my recent trip to spend time with my family in North Dakota and Minnesota, I gained new appreciation for God’s creation. Nature is both an object of provision and a testament of God’s perfect omnipotence and sovereignty. This is my final post about some of my revelations that I received in my submersion into the landscapes.
God’s Provision
“He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call. ”
Nature, in my opinion, is the best place to see and understand God’s provision. The trees, the animals, the grass, the flowers, and even the bare landscapes tell of His care for creation. Complex interwoven ecosystems are examples of His omnipotent design; all of creation appears in lines of succession for supplying and receiving the necessary elements for survival. The sun and rain provide nutrients for the plants, the plants provide substance for animals and insects, and so forth. As I discussed in the first post of this series, God’s perfection is found in this interconnectedness.
I believe that if we can grasp how God designed and operates through nature, then we will have a better understanding of how He provides us with everything we need as His children. We find this idea in Matthew 6:
“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (vs. 26-30, ESV)
While this particular Scripture is addressing physical needs within a community, we can take it further into our emotional and spiritual needs.
What we first have to establish is that our needs come from living in a fallen world. There is evil all around us, and because of that, mankind is deprived of even the physical necessities described in Matthew 6. Our illnesses and products of this corrupt world give way to anxiety, isolation, depression, medical needs, financial hardships, relationship strains, and more. Our needs seem so immense now, more than ever, in this time of pandemic and civil unrest. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that as our needs increase, so does our understanding of God as our constant sustainer and provider.
We first see God’s name as provider - Jehovah Jireh - in Genesis 22. As Abraham obediently prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac, an angel appeared to declare that he had passed the test of faithfulness to God. “And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns” (v 13a). And so, he sacrificed the ram and named the place “Jehovah Jireh.” The specifics of this story direct us towards God as a provider of sacrifice; in turn, this then leads us to Him providing for us an ultimate sacrifice in Jesus Christ. Through this, we can view God not just as a provider of sacrifice, but also a provider of all things attached to the Holy Lamb’s sacrifice. What does this mean for us? Obviously we receive mercy and the promise of eternal life, but we also are gifted with all of the graces that were given to us through Jesus - peace, joy, sound minds, wisdom, hope, and so much more.
If Jesus overcame the world and death, then surely He has provided us with everything we need while in the world and after death. Just as God designed nature, His plan has always included the resources we, His children, need for living. Sometimes we get caught up in what we view as His lack of provision of physical and concrete things, while failing to realize that His provisions for our minds and spirits far outweigh any object. His supply of healing would be great, but it only solves one (maybe a few) problems. Rather, a provision of peace overcomes more than just illness - it can be used in every facet of life.
As a bird sits to rest on a tree branch, so should we be able to rest in God’s grace for us. As noted above, His Word says that we are of more value than the birds. He is our compassionate Creator and loving provider. If you are lacking some things, both objective and subjective, Jehovah Jireh is always awaiting you to call out to Him. He wants you to seek Him first. Although you may not get what you specifically ask for, He will give you grace that is sufficient for whatever His will is for you.