Monday, March 17
Genesis 1:1-5
When God began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
This past Sunday, people at Chain of Lakes had the opportunity to focus on Camp. One powerful part of Camp is being in nature. What a treat it is when we have an experience of God in nature. All of us most likely have had times when we had an experience of the divine when we were in nature.
The Bible talks often about the relationship of God in nature. The story of Genesis 1 reveals how God works in nature. At the start of the story nothing existed. The writer of the story shared that the earth was a formless void. That is another way of saying that nothing existed.
But God brought something out of nothing. God created light. And we know that the light was shining in the darkness. Thinking about light is a way to think about how God brings something out of nothing.
When we find God in nature we often find God when we see this creation coming out of chaos. A sense of order and permanence develops.
We might have moments when we had a sense of order being created out of chaos. Have you had an experience like this? Please share.
Tuesday, March 18
Genesis 1:20-21, 24-25
And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind and the cattle of every kind and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
God’s relationship to the earth extends far beyond a relationship to humans. God has a relationship with the animals and other living creatures on the earth.
It’s powerful that God blessed the living creatures in verse 22. God’s blessings extends far beyond a blessing of humans. God blesses animals too.
We can find God in our own relationship to animals. Some of us might have had a pet when we were young that taught us lessons about God; some of us might have an animal right now that is precious to us—as precious as any family member.
Have you had an experience where you found God through a relationship with an animal? Please share.
Wednesday, March 19
Genesis 9:8-10, 14-16
Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark.
When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
Yesterday we read about God’s blessing of animals. Today we read about God’s covenant with the animals. When God made a promise never to destroy the earth through a flood, God made that covenant with more than just humans—God made it with animals.
Many have had the experience of seeing a loon fly off a lake and a story of hearing the call of a loon. These experiences of seeing a loon in nature is majestic and even transcendent. They are certainly memorable. These experiences are spiritual experiences. They connect us to something that is far beyond ourselves.
God enjoys when we have these spiritual experiences in nature. We aren’t worshiping creation, but we are learning about God from what we observe in creation.
Can you remember a spiritual time or experience that you had in nature? Please share.
Thursday, March 20
Matthew 6:26-30
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
Many people have shared that one way to reduce our anxiety is to spend time in nature. One recent study showed that spending as few as ten minutes a day in nature can reduce our physical and mental stress.
Jesus illustrated in this story how being in nature can reduce our own anxiety. He encouraged people to look at the lilies. Most of us can envision the lily and the beauty of a lily. A field of lilies is especially beautiful.
Lilies grow naturally—Jesus shared that they “neither toil or spin.” (Matthew 6:28)
The point that Jesus was sharing was that if a lily can illustrate such beauty without toil or spin, then we can let go of our own anxieties. We don’t have to let go of our “stuff.” If a lily can be so beautiful, then we can be beautiful just by being ourselves. We don’t have to work at it. We can just be!
We learn these spiritual lessons by being in nature.
Have you had a spiritual lesson recently that you learned in nature? Please share.
Friday, March 21
Psalm 8
O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenger.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are humans that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?
Yet you have made them a little lower than God
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet,
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
This is a powerful Psalm that is even worth memorizing. It displays the vastness of the universe.
Think about the vastness of the universe. We live in the Milky Way galaxy. The length of the Milky Way galaxy is 100,000 light years. That is a distance that is hard for us to comprehend.
This is what the Psalmist was describing. When he looked at the universe he realized how small he was in comparison to the universe. But despite his diminutive statue in the universe, God still loved him. God wanted him to nurture or have dominion over the universe.
Do you have a story of having this sense of awe while you were in nature? Perhaps it was seeing the night sky, or the color of the sunset, or an animal that did something extraordinary.
If you’ve had an experience like this, please share.
Saturday, March 22
Psalm 77:12-20
I will meditate on all your work
and muse on your mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is so great as our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
you have displayed your might among the peoples.
With your strong arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
When the waters saw you, O God,
when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
the very deep trembled.
The clouds poured out water;
the skies thundered;
your arrows flashed on every side.
The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lit up the world;
the earth trembled and shook. Your way was through the sea,
your path through the mighty waters,
yet your footprints were unseen.
You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
These verses describe how the Psalmist had experienced God through nature.
In verse 12 the Psalmist talked about meditating on all your work. This is another way to say that the Psalmist was meditating on the workings of God in nature.
We can learn so much about God when we meditate and observe how God works in nature. God does not only have a relationship with humans; God wants to have a relationship with the earth and the animals of the earth.
One spiritual ritual of being in nature is a prayer walk. A prayer walk is when we intentionally engage God in a walk. The walk could be a slow, rhythmic walking of the same stride where we talk to God. Or it could be a regular walk where we focus quite a lot on God.
Have you had a time when you’ve gone on a prayer walk? Or have you had an experience of God that came through nature? Please share.
