God in Nature

by Darren Hewer

Please open your Bible and read Psalm 19.

Truly “the heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1) and God is revealed in our natural world: “From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.” (Romans 1:20)

It is, however, a mistake to base our beliefs on the natural world alone. Christian apologist Matthew Slick notes that “If we look at a beautiful sunrise, we decide God is ‘good’; if we look at a hurricane, we decide God is ‘cruel’” for our world has been corrupted by sin. Although God’s image which he imbued in us upon creation has been defaced by our sin, it can never be entirely erased. Similarly, although the world is corrupt, God’s glory continues to peek through the dark clouds, providing illumination for all who allow God’s light to shine in their hearts. (2 Corinthians 4:5-6)

After all, “Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now.” (1 Corinthians 13:12) While we might know about God from nature, we can only know Him personally through His Son Jesus Christ and by reading His word to us in the Bible. Nevertheless, we can experience God’s real presence through His creation, and this is one of the amazing gifts that God has given us.

Question: How can the grandeur of God’s creation help a person begin to know the God who created it?

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