Simply Beautiful: I AM Creator

I feel closest to the Lord when I am in nature.

One night in Colorado, I took a drive before sunset. As much as I loved my friends and wanted to spend time with them, I needed to be alone this night. I chased the sunset to the top of a small peak and ended up in Garden of the Gods. I pulled into the parking lot, rolled my window down to let in the cool evening breeze and read my Bible. Over the course of an hour, I watched the sun change the bright red and orange walls of the valley into, deep crimsons and burnt oranges, then pinks and mauves, then browns and grays. A local reservation was holding council and allowing visitors to observe. Drums played and reverberated off the canyon walls and I sat listening, watching, and soaking it all in. It was a beautiful combination of creation: God's beautiful artwork and the masterpiece of man made in His own image.

Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." This is such a basic passage, but in realizing God is Creator in a world that questions His existence, I want to point something out. The verse specifically said God created, not that He was created or that something exploded and here we are, God acted specifically and intentionally to form and fashion everything we see in nature. By the way, it is safe to credit Him with our cityscapes and roadways and works of art. God created man's mind and where man's ingenuity meets God's creativity in creating that man, it is a beautiful collision.

Man is the pinnacle of God's creation. Genesis 1: 26-28 says, "Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,and over all the creatures that move along the ground.' So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'" We were created in the very likeness of the God of the Universe. That should make you feel humbled, treasured, special. And just to clarify, in this culture that thinks we are in control, God made us overseers, like a coach of an NFL team. We are to care for and nurture but the Lord retains ownership, not man. You are stamped by the Creator's hands.

We live in a culture that continually desires to smother voices worshiping Jesus. As Jesus was going into Jerusalem for what would ultimately be His crucifixion, His disciples were praising and worshiping Him. The Pharisees, religious leaders of the time, told Him to tell His disciples to be quiet. And here is what YOUR CREATOR said in reply, "'I tell you,' He replied, 'if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.'" (Luke 19:40) We were created to bring Him glory and praise Him, but if we fall down on our jobs, creation itself will declare Him.

Meditate on these verses today. Your Creator wants a relationship with you, if you don't know Him. He didn't create you and then leave you to your own devices. He uniquely fashioned you and daily nature demonstrates His continued presence. Whether you believe in Him or not, you were created to worship this Almighty Creator. The Great I AM. I pray you see His love for you in what He has made.
Psalm 19

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;
   the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
   night after night they reveal knowledge.
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
   no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
   their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
⁵ It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
   like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens
   and makes its circuit to the other;
   nothing is deprived of its warmth.

⁷ The law of the LORD is perfect,
   refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
   making wise the simple.
⁸ The precepts of the LORD are right,
   giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
   giving light to the eyes.
⁹ The fear of the LORD is pure,
   enduring forever.
The decrees of the LORD are firm,
   and all of them are righteous.

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,
   than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
   than honey from the honeycomb.
¹¹ By them your servant is warned;
   in keeping them there is great reward.
¹² But who can discern their own errors?
   Forgive my hidden faults.
¹³ Keep your servant also from willful sins;
   may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
   innocent of great transgression.