Walking By the Way

"O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens."

Psalms 8:1

"For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature,

have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."

Romans 1:20

I'm working on memorizing these verses and we are on our way for an afternoon walk. I repeating them over and over, mumbling them, trying to commit them to heart.

I stop at this verse and I chew on it for a little while.

I've been on the hunt for joy lately. An abiding joy that is not found in worldly happiness. It is promised in His presence; the fullness of joy. In abiding in Him I receive joy. A deep satisfying joy that will be my strength.

If the antidote to fear is the assurance of God's presence and in His presence there is fullness of joy and the joy of the Lord is my strength, then in His presence is where I long to be.

We're driving along and I ask the passengers in the back if they know why we go exploring on these hikes. It's not just for fun and exercise, but that we might see the Creator in His creation. 

His invisible attributes are clearly seen.

This string of words presents an oxymoron. But the truth that is discovered when you splice it open is so sweet.

As we look to His creation, we see with our mind's eye, attributes of God that we might not otherwise see clearly. 

We don't worship his creation, but we come to know Him and who He is a little more through His creation and we worship the Creator God of it all. 

We are without excuse. What we see so clearly points to an all-powerful God. 

If we honour Him as God, worshiping Him and adoring Him as we should, and enter His presence with thanksgiving in our hearts for what He has made, and the mercies and grace He has shown us, we are filled with this joy.

What an amazing privilege it is to see Him in His creation. To know Him and to delight in Him and all that He has made and all that He is.

This is something I long to teach my children as we are sitting in our house, and when we are walking by the way, and when we lie down, and when we rise.

I stumble along, searching for joy on this path, but always come home refreshed when we have spent time in God's awesome creation. 

May seeing with my mind's eye always turn my heart in adoration toward the Lord, my God.