MEDITATION ON GOD’S CREATION

Imagine you are lying on the ground in the middle of a large field on a warm and dark evening. There are no trees or buildings around you, nothing to distract you from a full view of God’s magnificent night sky. You see millions of stars shining brilliantly like diamonds, hanging on a black velvet backdrop, more stars than you can even begin to count. Imagine that your Jesus is lying next to you.

The disciples might have looked at this same night sky while lying next to their best friend, Jesus. For now, just rest, relax, and enjoy the peace of God’s beautiful creation and the presence of Christ next to you. Both you and He enjoy sharing time. Even when both are quiet, you enjoy knowing the other is present.

Psalm 19 tells us, “The heavens declare the glory of God. The skies proclaim the work of His hands.”As you lie here, you begin wondering what the universe might look like from the point of view of God the Father. Your mind drifts to a point of view from a few hundred feet above the field. Can you imagine God’s point of view, watching you and Jesus lying near each other, gazing into the night sky? Invite your imagination to zoom out of the scene. From here, you can see the field you are in and nearby towns and roads.

If you can, imagine moving further towards space. You can now see other towns and cities that are around yours. You continue to imagine going higher until you can see the entire state and, finally, the entire county where you live. As you imagine yourself moving higher, you notice that you can see the entire continent you live on. The earth soon appears as a beautiful blue and green globe, suspended in the nothingness of space.

As you imagine yourself moving further away, you see the moon orbiting the earth. Both become smaller and smaller. The sun and the other planets come into view and shrink as you continue moving further away. The world is now just a tiny, pale blue dot, no more brilliant than the still distant stars. The earth and the sun quickly become lost among the billions of other stars. See yourself leaving the Milky Way galaxy, and as you look down on it, you are aware that the Earth lies somewhere deep in that space. Other galaxies come into view, dozens, then hundreds, then thousands, then millions of galaxies, all shimmers of light against the dark vastness of space.

As you look out into space, you become aware of the immensity and power of a God that can create such a universe. David tells us in Psalm 8, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your hands, the moon and the stars which you have arranged, what is a man that you care for him, the son of man that you keep him in mind?” As you imagine yourself surrounded by millions of galaxies, you realize how small the earth is as part of God’s creation and how small you are on the earth. And yet, out of millions of galaxies, God chose ours. Out of the billions of stars in that galaxy, God chose one, our sun, as a place to warm the earth. And on earth, He placed humans. And out of billions of humans, you are but one. Yet you are one that He loved enough to send His Son to die for, that you might become a friend of God.

Begin slowly drifting back to the field where you and Jesus lay side by side. As you do, take a final look at all creation coming into focus, thanking Him for this wonderful gift. Thank Him that you are important to Him. Once you arrive, breathe in a deep breath of thanksgiving for all the Lord has created in you and for you.

Father, you are an incredible God. You are an awesome God. You are bigger and more powerful than I can imagine, yet You desire to be with me. I thank You for making a way through Jesus for me to be with You. I thank you for sharing this time. May I continue to feel Your presence longer after this meditation ends. In Jesus’ name, Amen.