God in Nature
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From the solemn roll of the deep-toned thunder and old ocean’s
ceaseless roll, to the glad songs that make the forests vocal with
melody, nature’s ten thousand voices speak his praise. In earth and
air and sky, with their marvelous tint and color, varying in gorgeous
contrast or softly blended in harmony, we behold his glory. The ever-
lasting hills tell us of his power. The trees wave their green banners
in the sunlight, and point us upward to their creator. The flowers that
gem the earth with their beauty, whisper to us of Eden, and fill us with
longings for its unfading loveliness. The living green that carpets the
brown earth, tells us of God’s care for the humblest of his creatures.
The caves of the sea and the depths of the earth reveal his treasures.
He who placed the pearls in the ocean, and the amethyst and chrysolite
among the rocks, is a lover of the beautiful. The sun rising in the
heavens is the representative of him who is the life and light of all that
he has made. All the brightness and beauty that adorn the earth and
light up the heavens, speak of God.
An Unexplored Field
Shall we, in the enjoyment of the gifts, forget the Giver? Let them
rather lead us to contemplate his goodness and his love. Let all that is
beautiful in our earthly home remind us of the crystal river and green
fields, the waving trees and the living fountains, the shining city and
the white-robed singers, of our heavenly home,—that world of beauty
which no artist can picture, no mortal tongue describe. “Eye hath not
seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the
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things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”
To dwell forever in this home of the blest, to bear in soul, body, and
spirit, not the dark traces of sin and the curse, but the perfect likeness
of our Creator, and through ceaseless ages to advance in wisdom, in
knowledge and holiness, ever exploring new fields of thought, ever
finding new wonders and new glories, ever increasing in capacity to
know and to enjoy and to love, and knowing that there is still beyond
us joy and love and wisdom infinite,—such is the object to which the
Christian hope is pointing, for which Christian education is preparing.
To secure this education, and to aid others to secure it, should be the
object of the Christian’s life.—
The Review and Herald, July 11, 1882
par. 21
.
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