When Through The Woods And Forest Glades I Wander

It's no secret that I love nature, in all of its incredible, intricate detail.  And it's also no secret that I believe the natural world around us was designed and created by our wise and loving God, for the ultimate purpose of drawing humanity to himself and revealing his divine nature to us through his marvelous handiwork.

His glory is on display everywhere we look, from the starry night sky above, to the rocks beneath our feet; from the sheer magnitude of the ocean depths to the complexity of infinitesimally small cells and atoms. 

Throughout the entire mind-blowingly amazing universe he has made for us, his great power and goodness are on display for all to experience.

I'm reminded of one of my favorite hymns, "How Great Thou Art," which begins with the lyrics:

"O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed..."

The picture painted by this verse, written in the late 19th century, is one of a naturalist, scientist or lay person who observes and is subsequently captivated by the power, beauty and sheer magnitude of the natural world.  Upon seeing the stars, he pauses to look.  Upon hearing the thunder, he stops to consider.  He gives thought - deep thought - to these things, these mighty forces of nature that operate in orderly fashion, and finds himself in a state of utter awe and wonder.  Maybe you can relate.  He then arrives at the conclusion that our creator God is great - so very great - that he simply must sing His praise.

The chorus goes like this:

"Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee:
How great thou art!  How great thou art!"

My absolute favorite verse is the next one:

"When through the woods and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze..."



This is us.  This is you and me: naturalists, hikers, birders, environmentalists, nature-lovers.  

We walk through shady woods, beneath an ancient sheltering canopy, listening to the birds and the wind and the creek, and we are moved.  From a mountaintop, we are left breathless as we gaze across the grandeur and majesty of jagged peaks and green valleys, stretching to the horizon.  And we are moved.  We can't help but be moved, maybe even to tears!  We seek these places out for the very reason that they move us!  They inspire, they bring peace, they offer clarity, they give perspective.  They move us, to our very souls.  

That, my friends, is our loving Father, our Creator God, drawing us to himself.  And he requires a response.

My response is the same as that of the author of this hymn:

"Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee:
How great thou art!  How great thou art!"

But.  We must not stop there, with only the belief a good creator God.  We dare not.

Consider the next verse:

"And when I think, that God, his Son not sparing,
Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin..."

Creation points us not only to God, but to Jesus Christ as well - God the Son, the Messiah, our Savior.

The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 

Creation reveals to us God's very nature, his righteousness and holiness, and shows us our own unrighteousness and unholiness: our desperate need for salvation.  

Like the incomprehensible vastness of the universe, such is the magnitude of how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, the love of our God who came to earth to take upon himself the punishment that my sins and failings deserve, to sacrifice himself and die in my place, to rise again in defeat of death so that I might truly live!!  

That is the truth, incredible as it is, that elicits the response:

"Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee:
How great thou art!  How great thou art!"

But the best is yet to come.  

When we look at the world, and instead of seeing the beauty he intended, we see the brokenness and destruction and devastation caused by greed and arrogance and all manner of sin, fear not.  God's promises are true, and they are good.  One day, he will renew the earth, and all who believe in him, all who accept God's gift of grace, surrender their lives to him, and put their trust in the saving work of Christ on the cross, will live forever with him in paradise.  One day, we will experience the world as it should be.  Then, we will truly be home.

"When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, 'My God, how great Thou art!'"

When we see and experience God through the natural world, we are faced with the reality of his goodness.  His power.  His love.  His wisdom.  His beauty.  And we see that in human hands, the world is broken; our very lives are broken.  

But though we fall short of his standard of holiness and perfection, in his great grace and love for us he makes a way for us to be made right with himself, through belief in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, God with us, God come to save us.  

When we understand that this is what the natural world is declaring to us, we must believe!  

And then, our response can only be:

"Then sings my soul, my Savior God to thee:
How great thou art!  How great thou art!"



Listen to the hymn for yourself below - and be moved to respond.

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