God's Beauty in Contrast to Man's Fallen State

 

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in. (Psalm 107:1-7 ESV).

 

While taking the Roaring Fork Motor Trail in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Mary and I came to an overlook that gave us an incredible view of the Smokies. Just off the paved area I found a path that I thought would lead to an even better view. As you can see from the picture of the trail I’ve attached, it was well worn and only slightly uphill. I walked along the path for a few minutes and realized the “light ahead” was merely a tease to keep me going. In fact, the further I traveled the denser the foliage became. There was no view at all. I recognized the beauty of the trees and undergrowth, however, it was “ugly” compared to the vista at the pull-off. The designers of the road saw to it that the best was reserved for the pull-off, not the path chosen by a few travelers who thought they knew better than the designers.

 

One way to understand the beauty that God created is to understand its opposite. God is the ultimate “Designer.” Consequently, we were travel away from His design we experience the ugliness and sorrow of being separated from God. This is true of the world in general. Because of our sin, this world is not the way it ought to be. Sin has brought hardship and ugliness into our lives and into this world, though God designed it all to be beautiful.

 

We know that God has restoration in mind because we don’t feel “at home” in a world broken because of sin. We are homesick for a world of peace and beauty. We are homesick to be with God. When we’re stuck in brokenness and facing the ugliness of this world of sin, we feel homesick for God’s world of goodness and beauty. Our reading today points out the sorrow and longing of this homesickness. The world can feel like a endless path, providing no place where people can rest, no place where they can settle and be at peace. But the Lord, whose “love endures forever,” offers redemption. The Lord hears his people cry out in their trouble caused by sin, and he delivers them from distress. God brings them to a place where they can settle and live in peace. “He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”

 

If you find yourself stuck on this uphill path that seems to lead you deeper into the dense trees and underbrush of sin, turn around and find the Lord standing there, waiting for you to come back into His design. Jesus has left us, though often we strike out on our own in stubborn independence that leads to destruction. Come on back to the pull-off! He put it there for you!

 

God's Beauty in His Plan

 

[God answered Job] “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?” (Job 38:4-11 ESV).

 

I often stop at the buildings in Cades Cove. The one pictured here is the Henry Whitehead Place, named after Henry Whitehead, a talented carpenter, married Matilda Shields Gregory. Matilda’s previous marriage did not last, as her husband, Ebenezer, deserted her and their young son, Josiah. As a result, Matilda had to raise their son on her own and do so without a home. Her brothers and the community stepped in to help her by quickly building a functional cabin in 1881 (smaller structure at the rear of the main cabin). Even with its rushed construction, including roughly cut logs and a rubble stone chimney, Matilda was supposedly grateful for her new house. A few years later, Matilda met Henry. The two courted and eventually married in 1887, and Henry assured his new wife that she would have a much better home to live in.

 

With his carpentry skills, Henry decided to make a 16-foot by 18-foot sawn log cabin for their family. The construction of the cabin included 4-inch walls made from thick logs, making it well-insulated. Henry also constructed a brick chimney for the home. Most homes had rubble chimneys like that of Matilda’s first home, as having a brick chimney was a rare amenity for Cades Cove cabins at the time. A cool fact about the chimney of the new cabin is that Henry made his own bricks from scratch! As a final touch, Henry even went on to join both the new and old homes with a covered walkway. By 1898, Matilda and the rest of the Whitehead family had a beautiful cabin that outshined her previous home. In turn, the Henry Whitehead Place in Cades Cove eventually paved the way for the look of future cabins built in the community.

 

In our reading today, Job is questioning God. He certainly may be seen as someone who had reason to do so. However, God’s answer to him was something of a surprise. God tells him that he had no way of fully understanding all of what He was doing in his life. Like all of God’s work, we often don’t understand the full plan of God in our lives. However, we do know the “Who” of the plan. God is good and desires only good for His children.

 

Some may have lamented the “fate” of Matilda Shields Gregory after her husband deserted her and all she had was a small hastily constructed cabin to raise her son in. Little did they know the final outcome that would come to her through meeting Henry Whitehead. If we simply look at our circumstance now, we will surely miss the final outcome prepared for us through Jesus!

 

Living Things both Great and Small

 

O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great. There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it. These all look to you, to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. (Psalm 104:24-28 ESV).

 

You cannot take the loop through Cades Cove without seeing wildlife. While Mary and I were there recently we saw some wild turkeys browsing through the grass. I took the picture attached while two Eastern gobblers casually went about their search for something to eat. You may find it interesting to know that in North America, there is one wild turkey species, Meleagris Gallopavo, but it is divided into five recognized subspecies: Eastern, Osceola, Rio Grande, Merriam's, and Gould's. Each has a slight difference in appearance and habit. I’ve seen three of the five in the wild. They are strangely beautiful, especially when the gobblers are in full strut with their tails fanned. While not the smallest or largest of birds, they have their place in our wonderful world.  

 

This vast diversity is a beautiful part of God’s creation, as our reading shows. In his wisdom God made so many different animals and plants that we haven’t been able to count them all. And in his wisdom God made many different cultures and people as well. This psalm uses poetry to tell about the powerful and beautiful way God made the world. It invites us to praise God for such diverse beauty and for creating the world in the best way possible.

 

Each of us brings our own type of beauty to the world. The distinctive gobble of the Eastern turkey that breaks the early morning silence is quite different than the melodious coo of a Morning Dove though both are incredibly beautiful. God combines with each species’ huge variety of sounds to create beauty in this world. In all these ways God displays his love for his creation. We should learn an important truth from this. We are also very diverse as humans. There is great beauty in each of us as He has planned and purposed each of us to be a part of a world that is so beautiful and diverse! Praise Him for that!

 

And... It Was Good!

 

And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:24-25 ESV).

 

As I anticipated Mary and I are indeed in the Smokies as I am writing this devotional along the theme of God’s beauty. As you can see from the picture I have attached, God knows how to create beauty. This view was captured in Cades Cove looking over a pasture toward some of the mountains surrounding the Cove. It was late afternoon and the sun was behind me. There was a brief shower earlier and the grass was still a bit wet. The clouds remained, though they only provided an accent to the mountains. The purple ironweed was still blooming, though many of the other wildflowers have already shed their flowers in the reseeding ritual of spring and summer. It was surprisingly uncrowded. We heard a few birds and felt a slight breeze as the incredible feeling of peace washed over us.

 

When the first chapter of Genesis speaks of God creating the heavens and the earth, it does so by describing a pattern of six days. And several times in the process we read, “God saw that it was good.” God took joy and satisfaction in the things he created. God saw that the world was good and beautiful. In fact, God made the world to be beautiful: the light, the sky, the land, the sun, the fish, the animals. God called all these things “good.” And when God created humans, God created us in his own image. Men and women are all created in the image of God, beautiful like their creator.

 

If you are ever tempted to doubt your own worth as a person, remember that the creator of the universe made you in his own image. Remember that God looks on his beautiful creation, including you, and calls you “good” and beautiful. That cannot be in doubt! What a great day to see the hand of God in His creation!

 

The Beauty of God's Creation

 

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. (Psalm 19:1-6 ESV).

 

I am sorry for the older picture attached today. As you know I typically write ahead of publishing. I am writing this devotional on Saturday, August 9^th for publishing on Sunday, August 17^th. Mary and I should be in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, by then. My hope is to write a bit while I am in the mountains continuing this theme of “The Beauty of God’s Creation.” That will allow me to have current pictures to attach and give me a chance to digest being immersed in one of the most beautiful of places God has created. For reference, the photo today was obviously taken in the fall of the year; however, more importantly, it was taken literally outside the front door to the cabin where we are staying. It is the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River. I like to spend the mornings fly fishing for trout while we’re there. You can see why it is just fine to merely “fish” and not necessarily “catch” any fish! It truly is a glorious place of quiet and beauty.

 

Our reading today is from Psalm 19. It shows that we can even learn about God’s glory through nature. It says, “The heavens declare the glory of God” (v. 1). Another way to put it, according to this psalm, is that “the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” This is a strange and poetic picture. The sky can’t talk! The psalm acknowledges this in verse 3: “They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.” And yet the sky, by its simple, beautiful existence, communicates to the world about God, its creator.

 

God has created a beautiful world. This world, simply by being what God created it to be, gives voice to the beauty of God himself. It is a reminder to us that we, too, can glorify God with our words, by loving each other and themselves, and by caring for the world that God loves. The sky uses its clouds, rainbows, and shades of gray and blue to tell about the glory of God. Think of all that we can do as we use our words and even our whole life to share about the glory of our great God!

 

“See” you from the Smokies… tomorrow!

When Life Is Uphill - Pt 5

 

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:26-30 ESV).

 

The picture I’ve attached is from August, 2021. Mary and I had finally gotten to a place with our health issues that we could travel. Mary was just beginning to recover from the major surgery of 2020 and Covid was under more control with vaccines and public awareness. I had had the first two of what would become six stents placed in my heart. Things seemed to be normalizing. So, it was off to a bit of vacation in the Smokies. This picture was of the sunset in Cades Cove. It was a fabulous trip. “All things” seemed to have been worked out for our good. Little did I know then that there was yet to be some more uphill travel in our future!

 

This realization taught me a great deal more about the meaning of the promise in our reading today. Christians sometimes have the best intentions but say the wrong things. In attempts to comfort someone who is grieving the death of a loved one, we have been known to offer platitudes like “God had a plan” or “She’s in a better place” or “His suffering is over.” All true, but perhaps we should simply imitate the Spirit with “wordless groans,” offering a hug and ongoing prayers.

 

The greater the degree of suffering on this earth, the more we long for the day when we will be with Christ in heaven, free from the tyranny of sickness and sorrow. In this passage, the apostle Paul seeks to encourage God’s people with both strength to get through today and a glorious vision of the future. He tells us that in all things God works for our ultimate good and his purpose. This does not mean all things are inherently good but that God redeems the pain and blesses us. This verse is more than a platitude; it’s a promise based on God’s enduring love. And, therefore, it can be a great anchor point in our journey. Trust God to do His good work in your life!

 

When Life is Uphill - Pt 4

 

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we await for it with patience. (Romans 8:18-25 ESV).

 

While I am writing this devotional about a week before it will be published, my hope is that by the time you read it Mary and I will have “snuck off” for a quick trip to our place. Of course, those of you who know us also know that place is the Smoky Mountains. The picture I’ve attached was taken some years ago in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, at the Old Mill. Let me make the comparison and illustration of today’s thought clearer. This morning (actual day) I mowed. I started at 10:30 am and finished about 1:30 pm. Yes, I was riding the tractor, but it was really hot even at that hour. The heat index reached 105, while the air temperature hit 101. It is a typical Texas summer day for August. My curiosity led me to weigh before and after mowing… I lost two pounds just riding the mower! It is hot. In the Smokies the weather is much better. The forecast is for highs in the lower 80’s and lows in the 50’s. And, I won’t be doing anything more strenuous than casting my fly rod! Texas heat is nothing compared to that!

 

Our reading begins with that kind of declaration in relationship to our uphill journey in life. To be clear, claiming what this verse says is easier for some than for others. It depends on what kind of suffering you have experienced or are currently enduring. However, Paul is being realistic. Whether it’s trying to make sense of ourselves, fighting off sin, struggling in relationship, bearing wounds of brokenness, being limited by health, enduring the pain of depression or a host of other situations, suffering is real for Christians as well as non-Christians.

 

Paul wants us to gain perspective, so he invites us to compare our suffering to the glory that will be revealed in us. But Paul does not define that glory as life without adversity, as if we won’t have health issues or financial needs or marital struggles or the like. Our goal is not so much to beat suffering as it is to live fully and completely as children of God. He also reminds us that we have his Spirit—always. And the Spirit will help us in all situations, interceding for us even if we struggle to pray. Even in the worst of times, we are not alone. We can find great comfort in that.

 

When we suffer, we need that reminder. We may want an easier life, but what we need most is to know that God is continually with us and at work in us. Trust that!