Today’s post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.
Neh. 9:6 “Thou art Jehovah, even thou alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things that are thereon, the seas and all that is in them, and thou preserves them all; and the host of heaven worships thee.”
When I went on my trip out west, I traveled through some of the prettiest and most awe inspiring country I’ve ever seen. The morning I headed west out of Albuquerque, I drove through a series of low mountain ridges with valleys opening up below and stand-alone mountains dotting the distance. There were mesas and multi-colored cliffs all along the way. I could see for miles across incredible vistas at times, and other times I was traveling through a narrow pass and my view was limited (but still gorgeous). Of course, the most awe inspiring view was the Grand Canyon. Perhaps the most beautiful things I saw were the alcoves in the Carlsbad Caverns. The neatest things, to me, were the great sequoia trees.
Ps. 104:24 “O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.”
While I was traveling through the West, marveling at God’s creation and trying to learn some of what it could teach me about His wisdom and power and love for beauty, a thought occurred to me: most of the people who have ever lived on this planet had no idea these things were here. This is especially true of Carlsbad Caverns. To get to the main formations of stalactites and stalagmites and curtains and columns and their beautiful colors takes a hike of about an hour and a half from the main natural cave entrance. And it is DARK down there. There is absolutely no light whatsoever. In the days when torches or candles were the best forms of mobile light sources, it just wasn’t practical for casual explorers to go down that far. It’s only been the last 100 years that people have been aware of the incredible beauty to be found over 700 feet below ground.
Jer. 10:12 “He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding hath he stretched out the heavens.”
Even the Grand Canyon, which is both above ground and larger than the state of Delaware, has only recently begun to be seen and enjoyed by anything close to large crowds. The North American continent has always been sparsely settled and, historically speaking, only relatively recently. As far back as we know (not very far) there have been Native American tribes living in the area engaging in spiritualism at the Grand Canyon, but that was only a relative handful of people. The first European didn’t see the canyon until the 1500’s and the second not until 1776. Tourism didn’t begin until the late 1800’s.
Is. 45:18 “For thus saith Jehovah that created the heavens, the God that formed the earth and made it, that established it and created it not a waste, that formed it to be inhabited: I am Jehovah; and there is none else.”
So, what is my point? Well, God conceived of the Grand Canyon, with its immense vistas, multi-layered and multi-colored walls and general awesomeness, and put it in a part of the planet where most of humanity would never be able to see or enjoy it. Or even hear of it. He created the stone formations in Carlsbad Caverns, with their incredible variations in colors, shapes and sizes – and they are truly glorious when lit up – and He put them underground in the dark where it was impossible for any to find or enjoy them until this last century. My point? God is a lover of beauty, such a lover of beauty and beautiful things that He can’t help but create them even if there will be no one to see or marvel at His creative genius for millennia.
Our God is a God of beauty and glory.
Ps. 68:4 “Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.”
Ps. 57:11 “Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.”
Ps. 8:9 “O Jehovah, our Lord, How excellent is thy name in all the earth!”
Lucas Ward
Neh. 9:6 “Thou art Jehovah, even thou alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things that are thereon, the seas and all that is in them, and thou preserves them all; and the host of heaven worships thee.”
When I went on my trip out west, I traveled through some of the prettiest and most awe inspiring country I’ve ever seen. The morning I headed west out of Albuquerque, I drove through a series of low mountain ridges with valleys opening up below and stand-alone mountains dotting the distance. There were mesas and multi-colored cliffs all along the way. I could see for miles across incredible vistas at times, and other times I was traveling through a narrow pass and my view was limited (but still gorgeous). Of course, the most awe inspiring view was the Grand Canyon. Perhaps the most beautiful things I saw were the alcoves in the Carlsbad Caverns. The neatest things, to me, were the great sequoia trees.
Ps. 104:24 “O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.”
While I was traveling through the West, marveling at God’s creation and trying to learn some of what it could teach me about His wisdom and power and love for beauty, a thought occurred to me: most of the people who have ever lived on this planet had no idea these things were here. This is especially true of Carlsbad Caverns. To get to the main formations of stalactites and stalagmites and curtains and columns and their beautiful colors takes a hike of about an hour and a half from the main natural cave entrance. And it is DARK down there. There is absolutely no light whatsoever. In the days when torches or candles were the best forms of mobile light sources, it just wasn’t practical for casual explorers to go down that far. It’s only been the last 100 years that people have been aware of the incredible beauty to be found over 700 feet below ground.
Jer. 10:12 “He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding hath he stretched out the heavens.”
Even the Grand Canyon, which is both above ground and larger than the state of Delaware, has only recently begun to be seen and enjoyed by anything close to large crowds. The North American continent has always been sparsely settled and, historically speaking, only relatively recently. As far back as we know (not very far) there have been Native American tribes living in the area engaging in spiritualism at the Grand Canyon, but that was only a relative handful of people. The first European didn’t see the canyon until the 1500’s and the second not until 1776. Tourism didn’t begin until the late 1800’s.
Is. 45:18 “For thus saith Jehovah that created the heavens, the God that formed the earth and made it, that established it and created it not a waste, that formed it to be inhabited: I am Jehovah; and there is none else.”
So, what is my point? Well, God conceived of the Grand Canyon, with its immense vistas, multi-layered and multi-colored walls and general awesomeness, and put it in a part of the planet where most of humanity would never be able to see or enjoy it. Or even hear of it. He created the stone formations in Carlsbad Caverns, with their incredible variations in colors, shapes and sizes – and they are truly glorious when lit up – and He put them underground in the dark where it was impossible for any to find or enjoy them until this last century. My point? God is a lover of beauty, such a lover of beauty and beautiful things that He can’t help but create them even if there will be no one to see or marvel at His creative genius for millennia.
Our God is a God of beauty and glory.
Ps. 68:4 “Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.”
Ps. 57:11 “Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.”
Ps. 8:9 “O Jehovah, our Lord, How excellent is thy name in all the earth!”
Lucas Ward
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