Read Psalm 19:1-2, Romans 1:20I don't think I'd ever want to move back to Arizona. It's dry, hot, and full of scorpions, rattlesnakes, tarantulas, and coyotes (all of which I have personally seen in my parents' neighborhood). Despite all of this, the one thing I truly love about Arizona is something Houston is definitely missing...a magnificent view. Tucson is surrounded by mountains, so everywhere you go, you have a beautiful mountain view. The way the clouds fall around the mountains is truly breathtaking, and I can't see them without thinking of God's greatness. How can you see the beauty of nature and not believe in God? I have gotten this feeling many times...while looking at the Grand Canyon, taking in the spectacular beaches of St. Lucia, sailing along the coast of Costa Rica, looking at the clouds from an airplane... The beauty of nature loudly proclaims that there is a God, and He is magnificent! His creativity, power, beauty, and vastness have no comparison.
In Psalm 19, David starts out by saying, "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is telling of the work of His hands." God's creation is a testament that He is real. How people can gaze at a beautiful display of nature and still claim to be atheists is beyond me! His name is written all over nature, glorifying Him and pointing to the reality of His presence. Can man create mountains, form oceans, produce clouds and rain, grow flowers, and build canyons? When seeing this display of greatness, we're reminded of how small we are. There is no possible way man could create nature, and science's only explanation is that it just came about by itself. For people who claim to be so intelligent, their explanation of creation is seriously lacking in credibility! The only logical explanation is that nature was created by someone bigger than us.
The second verse states, "Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge." The order of the universe also testifies to God's glory. Our days and nights are ordered in a perfect way. Each day is consistent, giving us just enough hours in the day to get our work done, and just enough hours at night to keep us rested. Who came up with such a perfect allotment of day and night? Who else but God? Our universe is perfectly ordered, with each planet on its own orbit. None of them crash into one another or get off course. Why? God has them all in His hand! Our earth is the perfect distance from the sun. If we were any closer, we would burn up, and if we were any farther we would freeze. Who placed the earth at the exact and perfect distance to support human life? Only God! The vastness of the universe and the perfect order of the stars and planets shout out that there must be a higher being to control them! Without God, there would be chaos in creation; because of Him we have perfect order.
Romans 1:20 states, "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse." This is a powerful verse teaching us that God has clearly revealed Himself in creation. His power and divinity are evident through nature. Because every human being has seen God's creation, they have no excuse not to believe in Him! In seminary, we call this principle "general revelation." General revelation is God's revelation of Himself through nature.
So, if seeing nature is enough to point someone to belief in God, is this enough to save them? You probably already know the answer. The only way to salvation is through Jesus, and you can't believe in Him unless you hear the gospel. Romans 10:14 says, "How will they believe in whom they have not heard?" While God reveals Himself to everyone on earth through His creation (general revelation), man cannot be saved without "special revelation." This includes God speaking through supernatural means, through His Word. His creation testifies that He is real, but His Word explains the cross and testifies that salvation comes through faith in Jesus.
The next time you are in a beautiful place in God's creation, soak it all in! You can't see the beauty of nature without praising Him for His greatness and majesty! Praise God that we serve a King who is displayed all around us, and who's fingerprints are all over creation~
