The Sky Above Proclaims His Handiwork

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

Psalm 19:1-6 – The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. ² Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. ³ There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. ⁴ 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, ⁵ which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. ⁶ 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.

The setting sun over the shores of Lake Erie proclaims God’s handiwork. Presque Isle State Park, Erie, Pennsylvania.

Psalm 19 is one of those great passages of the Bible that stirs me deeply every time I read it. From the smallest grain of sand on a beach to the most distant star in the heavens God created it all. Through the beauty and power of his amazing creation he makes himself known throughout the earth. The magnificence of his world should leave no doubt in our minds that there is something greater than us, someone greater than us, our God and our Creator.

I weep for those who do not understand the glory of God, for those who actually believe this is all just random chance acting over time. If this is true, if we all are here just because of some great cosmic roll of the dice, then there is no real purpose or greater meaning to life than the here and now. If this is true, then how we live our lives makes no difference at all. If this is true, then there is no reason for us to value the lives of those around us, or really to care at all. After all, it is just survival of the fittest, right?

The Bible presents us with a much different view of human life, Genesis 1:27 tells us that, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” We are all image bearers of God, and because of this every human life is of value. Psalm 139:13 reads, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” God knew us before we were born; in fact he created us, and because of this every human life is of value, yes, even those not yet born.

Not only does God’s creation proclaim his glory, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). We too, in our deepest being, know him and proclaim his glory, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (Psalm 139:14). And yet, we live in a fallen world, a world that rejects God and the truth of his word written in the Bible. In order to find our way back to him, in order to know his glory, we have but one path, and that is Christ, our Lord, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Read more about my “God is Revealed…“ category of posts

Before the Mountains Were Brought Forth

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Todd D. Nystrom

Psalm 90:1-4 – Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. ² Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. ³ You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!” ⁴ For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.

The mountains rise above Dream Lake on the trail to Emerald Lake. Bear Lake Corridor, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

Hiking in the Rocky Mountains is awe inspiring! For me it is difficult to understand how anyone can gaze upon such a magnificent place and still doubt the existence of God, our Creator, the one who was there “before the mountains were brought forth,” the one who “formed the earth and the world,” the one who is our God “from everlasting to everlasting.”

This is exactly what Paul is telling us in Romans 1:19-20, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”

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An Image Formed

Posted on November 30, 2013 by Todd D. Nystrom

Acts 17:29-31 – Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. ³⁰ The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, ³¹ because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Shoreline image reflected in the waters of Stonelick Lake. Stonelick State Park, Pleasant Plain, Ohio.

Too often we substitute our own blurry images for the clear picture God has given us of himself in the Bible. We focus on the gifts rather than the giver, the reflection rather than the true object of our faith. While Scripture clearly tells us that the beauty of nature reflects the glory of God, we must always remember that we are called to worship God, our Creator, not his creation.

Take time today to study God’s word for yourself, so that you can be sure it is God himself you are worshipping and not some blurry image created by the “imagination of man,” be it yours or someone else’s.

Read more about my “God is Revealed…“ category of posts

He Makes the Mist Rise

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Todd D. Nystrom

Jeremiah 10:12-13 – It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
¹³When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

Autumn mist rising over the valley, view from Double Arch out to Courthouse Rock, Red River Gorge, Slade, Kentucky