God Speaks Through Natural Things In God’s compassion for mankind, He did not hide the truth of His existence from anyone. The Word says that God reveals Himself to all people: For that which is known about God is evident to them and made plain in their inner consciousness, because God [Himself] has shown it to them. For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attributes, that is, His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made (His handiworks). So [men] are without excuse [altogether without any defense or justification]. (Romans 1:19-20) People who now claim to be atheists will one day stand defenseless before the Lord, because God speaks to everyone through His handiworks. Even people living outside the will of God perceive right from wrong and the reality of God, because nature itself testifies of God’s power and divine plan. Psalm 19:1-4 says: The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows and proclaims His handiwork. Day after day pours forth speech, night after night shows forth knowledge. There is no speech nor spoken word [from the stars]; their voice is not heard. Yet their voice [in evidence] goes out through all the earth, their sayings to the end of the world. Of the heavens has God made a tent for the sun. I encourage you to take time to look at what God has created. The main thing God says to us through nature is that He is. Period. It is an important revelation because the Bible says that before we can get anywhere with God, we must first believe He is: “Without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]” (Hebrews 11:6). God has given every person a measure of faith to believe in Him (see Romans 12:3). The very first words of the Bible are our first lesson of faith, “In the beginning God…” Many people acknowledge that God exists, but they have not learned to relate to Him on a day-to-day level when they face struggles or difficulties. By grace, God tries to reach us every day, and He places reminders of Himself everywhere. He leaves clues of Himself all around us, clues that bellow out clearly, “I am here. You don’t have to live in fear, you don’t have to worry, I am here.” Jesus said to consider the lilies of the field (see Matthew 6:28) and the ravens of the air (see Luke 12:24). Meditating on how God adorns the fields and provides for the birds can remind us that He cares even more for us. A nice walk outdoors is a great opportunity to take a short vacation from the pressures of daily living and look at the trees, the birds, the flowers, and the children playing. How can anyone look at a baby and doubt the existence of God? When we consider how some trees look totally dead in the winter and yet come back to life each spring, it reminds us that God will bring our lives back into full bloom even if we feel our circumstances are hopeless. We can look at a tree and think, Last winter it looked barren, but now it flourishes. When I need a break from my work, I enjoy just looking at a tree and watching it blow in the wind. I have noticed dead pine needles clinging to the branches, but then a strong wind blows away the dried needles and makes room for the new buds ready to grow and thrive. It reminds me of how the wind of the Spirit is faithful to blow away things that aren’t needed in our lives anymore, and how we can trust God to protect all that needs to remain. Every morning the sun comes up, and every evening it goes down. The stars come out in the sky, and the universe remains in order as a reminder that God is watching over us. He keeps the planets in orbit, and He can keep our lives in order too. By grace, God tries to reach us every day. The ocean is so amazingly massive, and yet the mighty roaring waves stop at a certain place because God has commanded them to go no farther (see Proverbs 8:29). Think of all the different animals and how God has given each one of them a way to protect themselves. There are some that change color to match their environment when danger is near, and others that spew forth poison against their attacker. In the book of Job God asked Job, “Where is the way where light dwells? And as for darkness, where is its abode?” (see Job 38:19). The point is that we do not know everything there is to know about God; we have not seen where the wind, rain, or lightning is stored (v. 22). It seems that any reasoning person could be assured of God’s existence by simply being in and seeing nature, and yet there are those who persist in unbelief.