In the stars His handiwork I see

“A scene unfolded that I suspect caused at least one angel to gasp,” Margaret Feinberg wrote in her book “Wonderstruck.” “The expanse of the sky transformed from inky blackness into an infinite canvas on which brushstrokes of apricot, sapphire and emerald painted themselves into the night sky.

“Like an oil painting in progress, the colors refused to stand still. The hues danced as if listening to jazz. Iridescent shades sharpened then faded with wild fervor.”           

Feinberg was, of course, describing the northern lights. I’ve never seen the aurora borealis, but have been privileged to experience so many other wonders of God’s creation:

The thunder of New York’s Niagara Falls. The scent of a Wisconsin pine-filled forest. The detail in a South Carolina passionflower. Waves crashing wildly on a rocky Oregon coast. The massiveness of the Grand Tetons. The peace of Arizona’s red rocks.

But one does not have to leave Branson to be bowled over by nature. One summer night as my husband and I watched fireworks off our own back porch, dozens of fireflies began to light the bushes below us – as if to compete. What enchantment! Driving home one twilight, I spotted the quiet grace of seven deer in a clearing, right down the road from our house.

Gazing skyward reveals ever-changing scenes. “He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.” Psalm 104:19 NIV. And soon we will behold vivid dabs of golds and reds on our hillsides – and may catch the honking of Canadian geese as they migrate southward in their “V” formations.

Just studying the intricate pattern of a spider web can bring awe. And how about those 50 to 80 flaps per second of the hummingbird outside your window? Or the fact that no two snowflakes are alike? How can that even be?

This time of year, Monarch butterflies fly all the way from the northern U.S. to Mexico at the rate of 50 miles a day. They are called the final or super generation of the year, and they live eight times longer than the previous three generations of the year. Who arranges that and enables them?

I mean no disrespect but if you don’t believe in “intelligent design” – well, I just ask that you look around you with an open mind.

Paul writes: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Romans 1:20 (NIV).

So the Bible says God reveals His very Self through nature. But you do need to stop, look, feel, listen, touch and inhale. And maybe use AI and Google to search out a few more mindboggling scientific facts.

In her book “Hidden Art” Edith Schaeffer calls God the “Supreme Artist” and the “Perfect Scientist.” Creation is meant to communicate to us, she writes, as she urges us to pay attention.

“The heavens declare the glory of God,” David said in Psalm 19. “The skies proclaim the works of His hands.”

In Job we are told “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky and they will tell you; or speak to the earth and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you.” (Job 12:7-8 NIV).

Don’t miss it. Or Him. A song we used to sing says “In the stars His handiwork I see, on the wind He speaks with majesty. Though He ruleth over land and sea, What is that to me?... Till by faith I met Him face to face, and I felt the wonder of His grace, Then I knew that He was more than just a God Who didn’t care Who lived a way up there.” (Written by Ralph Carmichael).

Make sure you meet Him face to face in a personal relationship, and experience the wonder – not only of His creation, but of His caring grace.