The God of Nature
Quiet serenity enfolds me as I sit upon the green.
The soft sounds of a nearby pond wash over me
As I watch the spirited play of the local wildlife.
This sense of well being courses down to the depths.
My soul, in this place of beauty, finds rest
From the painful and hurried pace of life outside.
The coolness of the grass with the heat of the afternoon sun
Entices my body to a lazy and comfortable calm,
A time of rest from the storms that wait out there.
This vestige of nature seems like a last stand
In a slowly lost battle with the enemy: man.
Will this blessing, too, dry up and blow away?
Is it a wonder that one would fight to preserve
The natural beauty that is found in the world?
It reaches us on a level like nothing else does.
The problem that comes from this reverence for nature
Is that many today do not know the Creator
So their gratitude goes to a ball of mindless clay.
For most people sense wonder in nature's design,
So they worship the gift, and leave the giver behind,
Never realizing the error of their earnest, but misplaced affection.
We are right to stand up for and ensure its protection
For we are to be stewards of God's total creation.
It's His gift to us and a reflection of His mighty power.
It's natural to feel kinship with the earth and its beauty
The problem is Christians aren't doing their duty
To proclaim the full truth of God's vast and wonderful love.
Without the full truth, nature is the last link
To something beyond man, that's pure and distinct.
So instinct kicks in to preserve God's earliest self disclosure.
God's call to be stewards of creation is strong
And the echo remains long after real knowledge is gone.
So a fuzzy distortion of truth is all that remains.
What they fail to see is the God that they seek,
If He were truly almighty in power and in deed,
Could not be destroyed or protected by the work of their hands.
The nature of God is much more than we see
And many aspects remain a deep mystery,
Which no naturalist, park ranger, or ecologist can ever reveal.
Yet this incredible God, who spoke at the big bang,
This almighty being, who saw opening day,
Desires a loving relationship with each person on earth.
That is the secret that nature can't tell.
For though it is precious and comforts us well,
It is only the gift from an ardent and most faithful lover.
It's the job of the few who do know the rest
To fill in the others who don't know it yet,
So that they too can enjoy the riches of unfailing love.
For while nature alone can bring peace and enjoyment
How much greater will be the sense of fulfillment
When you walk in the cool of the day with the living God.