This time of year I spend an hour or so a day in the garden or the flower gardens weeding, mulching, watering, keeping an eye out for bugs, and training plants. I find great joy in watching the plants and flowers grow.
I couldn’t help but think of the joy that God must have felt when creating all this. We know how God felt because each time He created something He stopped to look and then commented, “It was good.” In the end He looked at creation and said, “It was very good.”
John Piper in his book, “The Pleasures of God,” reminds that Job 38:4-7 speaks of the joy at creation. When God laid the earth’s foundations and laid the cornerstones “the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy!” Great rejoicing occurred at the earth’s creation.
Psalm 104 was written to express the joy that God felt in His creation. Verse 31 focuses this thought: “May the glory of the Lord endure forever, may the Lord rejoice in His works.” This isn’t a request that this would happen, but a statement that it is happening. The Psalm bookends all the glory of God’s creation with the command for us to praise the Lord, the creator of all we have.
Sometimes we look at this and think, wow, what a beautiful creation God made and we forget one thing; God made us. Yes, God made us too, we are a part of all this and we are good.
It is overwhelming to think of the power of God, who created everything, of which we only grow to see a very small percentage of. None of us will see the depths of the ocean, the heights of the mountains, or most of what lies in between and what lies beyond.
One quick note – we need to be careful not worship creation though. We are called to praise and worship the Creator, our God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Piper states, “The message of creation is this: there is a great God of glory and power and generosity behind all this awesome universe; you belong to Him; he is patient with you in sustaining your rebellious life; turn and bank your hope on Him and delight yourself in Him, not His handiwork.”
So the question we need to ask is this: “Why does God take joy in His creation?” The best answer is this: Because God’s glory is reflected in it. In other words, God created the earth and everyone in it for His enjoyment.
It makes sense. Why do we as humans have children? For the same reason, to enjoy them. Children bring joy to us, just as we bring joy to God. As Piper reminds us above, we are rebellious, like our children are toward us as parents, but we still love them unconditionally. God is patient. He walks with us despite our sinful rebellion, He loves us unconditionally.
Today I am reminded to look beyond creation, to the source of creation and the only true source of joy in life, God. While I find great joy in what God has created, but my soul will never be truly satisfied until I am with God in the eternal home He is creating for me.
Thanks for reading!
Grace and Peace to You,
Pastor Brett