There is something about being out in nature, isn’t there? Breathing the fresh air, appreciating the plants and foliage, looking for birds or animals to identify, feeling the sunshine or breeze on our face, working up a sweat to burn off some excess calories, taking the opportunity to snap some amazing photographs and appreciating the change in topography.  Yes, there are wonderful things to enjoy and benefits to be had when we get away from our manmade environments and out into nature. I think this is even more true today since COVID hasplagued us for the last two years! 

Surveys show that there are several ways that we humans say we “feel close to God.” The list includes listening to music, attending a place of worship, reading Holy Scriptures, and even being in a quiet environment with a yummy cup of coffee. But on most surveys, these ways all follow behind “being in nature.” The fact that being in nature tops the list shouldn’t surprise us, particularly if we believe in a “higher power” that created our world. The beginning of all Judeo-Christian holy scriptures (the Torah and The Holy Bible) has in the very first chapter, titled Genesis, a description of the creation of our world by God. (Note in this source that humankind doesn’t show up until day six beginning in Chapter 1 verse 26.  God creates humankind after everything else, with the purpose to love Him, enjoy Him while we ‘manage’ His created masterpiece, and with the command to be fruitful and multiply to fill the world.) Early in the Quran, Chapter 2: 21-22, it also declares God’s creative power over establishing all the earth and heavens and the cycle of nature that we know. Here are the beginnings of both accounts:

GENESIS 1: 1-5   The Beginning

“1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.”

Chapter 2: The Heifer

“21. O people! Worship your Lord who created you and those before you, that you may attain piety.

22. He who made the earth a habitat for you, and the sky a structure, and sends water down from the sky, and brings out fruits thereby, as a sustenance for you. Therefore, do not assign rivals to God while you know.”

https://youtu.be/Sn–xVRqEEg

Because of God’s authorship and blessing on all the elements of nature… He did say it “was good” at the end of each hardworking day of creation… God set a precedence for and appreciation of praise for his creative handiwork. God provides us with an abundance of ways to connect with Him through nature. Being in and appreciating His creation allows the space for Him to share with us a living context for His holy scriptures, and/or personalized insights with lessons He has just for us. To be clear, I am saying that nature can be a channel through which God can communicate with us, I am not saying that nature is a god or God. For example, a tree, a butterfly, a flower, or a mountain stream can each, in their own unique way, point us to truths about God and our relationship with Him, but those created things aren’t God. Likewise, there is a difference between appreciating and finding fascinating an aspect of nature from the act of appreciating and finding fascinating the God who created something special for you to marvel at and possibly receive a message from in nature.

As a child I would play outside a lot. Being one of four children in my family, one of us was always “getting under foot”, as my mom would say. This meant we were frequently encouraged to “go play outside…just be home by dark.” I had the advantage of growing up in Central Florida… on a lake… right next to a family with three girls… in a home on a large lot with tons of foliage. I thoroughly enjoyed this time of independence and freedom outside. I loved making forts between the Cyprus trees and huge azalea bush hedges with my neighbors Karen and Niki, as they were close to my age and not one of my siblings. We would get out on the lake and explore around with our little rowboat, swim and dive off our dock, and even go water skiing. From my childhood until I was married, I was also blessed with many a beach trip to Longboat Key or New Smyrna Beach with extended family, enjoying the sounds of the surf and sea gulls, to the sites of sunrises and sunsets and pelicans diving for their next meal. And I would be remiss to not mention the opportunities to enjoy the Great Smokey Mountains in Dillard, GA or our infamous trip in a huge Winnebago out to the Rocky Mountains on the way to the Grand Canyon…the words ‘immense’ and ‘vast’, were the first things that came to my mind followed by ‘awe.’  

It wasn’t until the summer of 1980 when I first realized that I could be in nature and experience it and God at different levels. This revelation came when my (I thought we were rather serious) boyfriend from the prior school year ended our dating relationship. This event wasn’t only a big surprise but a huge disappointment to me and it made me step back and reevaluate my life and what I wanted. The breakup resulted in a time that drew me back to the roots of my faith but more specifically to a personal relationship with God. It’s funny how God works, because it was also the event that opened the door for me to begin dating Bruce, who has been my husband whose ring I have worn for 40 years now. That break-up summer was also the summer I that I was registered to take an important summer school course, to complete my business school Statistics requirement. Its nickname was called “Summer Sadistics”, since it met 4 days a week for 3 hours a day, with at least a dozen Stat problems to complete and turn in every day. Total immersion in the content was the strategy and survival was my goal.  By the end of the summer, I desperately needed to get away… get outside… and get refreshed before I began the next academic year.  A friend of mine, Angie Duncan (I miss her, and I wonder where she is today, as we lost contact with each other after graduation), accepted my invitation to drive up to Dillard, GA to hang out at my parent’s mountain cabin for a week.  During this trip time, which became a spiritual retreat for me, I experienced peaceful hours; reading my Bible, sitting in a rocking chair in cool mornings, on the long porch over-looking the Great Smokey Mountains, listening to the stream that ran its way down the property line, observing various birds, bugs, and other wildlife.  It was so restorative to read, pray, hike, journal, and share faith insights from nature’s beauty with Angie.  His word and nature around me spoke of God’s love for me saying that “everything was going to be okay” and that He had good things for me. So, this sweet time with Angie and nature began my appreciation of how God can speak to me. 

https://youtu.be/0M8XK2w7wmw

God’s communication with us in nature can be based upon the historical context of the specific place where we are. I have enjoyed traveling to some amazing parts of the world and have marveled at the diverse natural beauty of God’s creation and the contextual insights to God and His word that are treasures. For example, cruising through the Greek Isles with their vivid colors, amazing coastal views and vertical topography, reminded me of the courageous journeys of Paul (author of Ephesians that will be referenced soon) in the New Testament. Having the opportunity to stand by the ancient pyramids on the edge of the harsh and desolate Western Desert (located in the largest desert in the world-the Sahara Desert) just west of Giza, Egypt, which gave me insights as to what the Israelites had to face as slaves living there under Pharaoh, before they wandered for 40 years searching for the Promised Land.  Or the time I stood beneath one of the huge redwood trees and gazed at the waterfalls in Yosemite National Park in California, which gave me a first-hand definition of the word ‘Majesty’ and an appreciation of the ‘Power” of God.  A trip to Israel while Bruce was in seminary was ripe for lots of God links for my faith history. Bruce and I were selected to read the ‘Beatitudes’ from Matthew 5:1-12 for our travel group’s daily devotional time, while sitting on the edge of the Sea of Galilee on the Mount of the Beatitudes, when a lone fisherman rowed his way out of the early morning fog toward us. 

These are a few of the places I have been that have reminded me of parts of scripture and how God wants me to not only see and know more about the meaning behind His words, but to  ‘hear’ the  importance of His words. There was a Reformation Heritage trip our DeLand church family took. After a visit with church members of our dear pastor friends, Mairisine and David Stanfield, in Northern Ireland, we traveled by an express ferry and then bus up through Scotland, in the dramatic valleys below the mountain cliffs of the Highlands. I could ‘hear’ a passage from Psalm 121: 1-2, which reads:

“1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” *

Another vivid memory from that same trip was the verdant green of the rolling hills/mountains in Northern Ireland covered with sheep. I had the opportunity to appreciate in a new way God’s shepherding care, guidance and, comfort from Psalm 23:

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

³ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

These travels and experiences of God in nature were evidence to me that the God of the ancient holy scripture is the same God today. God can provide some place–specific glimpses that enlighten and form a better understanding of Him and the scriptures.  I believe that God can be ‘seen’ today if we look for Him around us. We can ‘see’ that He is still; all powerful, all loving, all knowing, all creative, and always present.  In my quiet time today reading Jesus Today by Sarah Young, the Lord brought the following perfect scripture to my eyes and my heart.

Ephesians 1: 18-19

^“18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, ^19a and his incomparably great power for us who believe. “

https://youtu.be/NP9rTceE1rs

In the scripture, our eyes can naturally be pulled toward the words ‘riches’, ‘glorious inheritance’, and ‘great power’.  But what caught my eye and heart was the expression the “eyes of your heart may be enlightened.” Isn’t it so true that we can physically see things around us and appreciate them?  But the scripture, in its wisdom, is pointing out that our hearts can be enlightened (as Christians we believe it is through the power of The Holy Spirit-one of the three distinct persons but of one essence-not divided-the triune God) when we catch a glimpse of something that is from God. If we can slow down and quiet down to focus on listening for His voice, we can receive His insights. From His insights we can then know truths deep within our hearts, that weren’t there just a few moments ago.  This scripture calls us to be open and be present to Him so that we can enjoy Him.  Through that practice of presence will come a growing awareness of God’s great love for us and His gift of salvation. His desires that we know in our hearts His; power, love, knowledge, stability, creativity, and presence. 

https://youtu.be/Y13hPJgeDRs 

I have received diverse gifts when I have caught a glimpse of God’s presence and received messages through the eyes of my heart. Even just today, I was blessed with a wonderful walk with a dear friend and fellow believer.  Our favorite place to walk is around Sarasota’s lush, preserved marshlands area called the Celery Fields. This friend happens to also be very involved in conservation for our part of Florida, and she is well tuned to the different birds that we see on our walks. She can name most trees and plants that we pass, and she can spot a Bald Eagle soaring hundreds of feet above our heads. I have been blessed with the opportunity to walk, talk, and share prayer requests with her for a couple of years now, and today, we spotted some Scrub Jays, two newly erected birdhouses filled with Purple Martins and their nests, many ducks, a great Blue Heron, and a Rosette Spoonbill. But the highlight was when she saw a flock of White Pelicans feeding on a pond. Not only was it so special to get a close look at these beautiful birds, but because my friend literally stopped walking to share with me about how the White Pelicans have come to be ambassadors of special messages from God to her.  Over the years, she has seen White Pelicans, as far away as Utah’s mountains and Idaho’s Snake River, that have provided her with messages of joy, peace, and most recently comfort. Seriously, just today as I had already begun writing this entry, that she knew nothing about, at the time when we were sharing our prayer concerns with each other, God allowed our eyes and hearts to ‘see’ his message of wellbeing and presence.  God still speaks and he loves to use His creation to do it. 

Yes, God is with us, around us and within us and I feel His joy when I acknowledge His communication to me through nature. Joining me in tuning our hearts to God’s voice.

https://youtu.be/GfVd5x9W1Xc

It’s exciting to anticipate what He has to share with us next!

*The next time God spoke Psalm 121 into my heart was the early spring of Will’s junior year (2007) of high school. We were on a road trip visiting universities up in the Northeast and Midwest. We visited Brown, headed up to Ithaca, NY visiting Cornell and were headed west over to Cleveland to check out Case Western Reserve. We were on our way to spend the night at a dear former work colleague and his wife’s home, Terry and Shirley Lehmann. We left Ithaca with it starting to sleet and as we were traveling through the western part New York state it began to snow. Will was napping in the car and I was driving gazing at the mountains out the snow speckled windshield to my left. The snow was light and dry so I wasn’t too concerned about our safety….note a native Floridian driving is snow would often evoke serious worries. Out of the blue here comes the words from Psalm 121… just as I was lifting my own eyes to the hills… asking God to guide us through the storm and to provide Will with the wisdom to select the school that was best for him. Our help does come from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth.