Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
September 24, 2022
Read: Genesis 1:20-23
20 God said, “Let the waters swarm with living things, and let birds fly above the earth up in the dome of the sky.” 21 God created the great sea animals and all the tiny living things that swarm in the waters, each according to its kind, and all the winged birds, each according to its kind. God saw how good it was. 22 Then God blessed them: “Be fertile and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” 23 There was evening and there was morning: the fifth day.
Good morning! All things bright and beautiful, the Lord God made them all!
Nature is a wonderful place to see God. When we look at the mountains, we see God’s majesty, and when we look at the most delicate flower, we see God’s gentle spirit. As we continue to explore nature, we find that we must balance exquisite beauty with precise engineering.
When I consider God as our creator, I am awestruck. Imagine being an artist with a great, blank canvas before you. Now, it is important to say that I can envision painting a great landscape, but I lack the skills to bring my ideas to life through paint and brush strokes.
If we fashion our painting to represent the creation story, we would begin with day and night, followed by creating the land and seas. Next, we would add all kinds of plants. How many would we add? Would they all look the same? God’s attention to detail is unimaginable. I fear that I would get lost at this point. How can we possibly represent the unique nature of God’s masterpiece? We’re only on day three, and we’re struggling to express the magnitude of God’s creation.
God blesses us, his likeness, with the ability to think and create things. How many of the great inventions of mankind resemble things in nature? We begin imagining great things when we are children encountering nature, and as we grow into adults this early time of discovery and observation is the foundation of development. As children, we have this innate persistence to grow and learn from each setback or failure. We are so driven to take that first step that no matter how many times we fall, we get up and try again.
As adults, it is easy to become overwhelmed with our struggles and forget the foundation of our own development. Whenever I need to be reminded, I turn to nature where I see the evidence of God surrounding me. I see God’s power, but I also see God’s love and compassion for each “little” detail of creation. We, those “little” details, are worthy of God’s attention, and we are blessed by knowing that God is with us always and will give us the strength to overcome our adversities when we are in need.
Gracious God, Thank You for loving us. We are so blessed. Thank you for caring for us and loving us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Though change may be difficult, God gives me the strength to endure.
Small, but mighty! Pastor Liz
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