God’s Own Bellagio Fountains: Revelations in Nature
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Psalm 19:1
Grateful today for the glorious world that God has created. A truly amazing, gorgeous world.
I’ve never been much of an outdoorsman. Growing up outside of Washington, D.C. in suburban Virginia, we never much went camping, or to the mountains. Although we traveled often to the beach, the majority of my time as a kid was spent in a concrete jungle. I remember one time on a family vacation, we attempted to go camping, but my mother and I complained about the rocks jabbing into our back as we tried to sleep, so my dad moved us into a hotel for the night!
Moving to Texas, marrying into a family that better appreciated the outdoors, and growing up has really changed my opinion on the outdoors/nature. I have come to find peace in nature. To want to be in nature so as to marvel at God’s creations. It’s a reminder of the magnificence of what he has created. While man is busy working to outdo God, to build giant Burj Khalifa’s in Dubai, or skyscrapers in New York City, nothing can compete with the perfection of the mountains in Alaska, or the plains in Texas.
I spent today in Iceland where I was able to travel up with my best friend to see not only a large waterfall but also my first ever Geyser. I had no idea that the word Geyser came from Iceland, and a specific “Geiser”. It was amazing to watch today. The water bubbling then shooting up in the sky. Without any pumps. Without any divers or hundreds of millions of dollars that went into the fountains of the Bellagio. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the fountains at the Bellagio but seeing God’s own fountain today was certainly more breathtaking.
I understand the worry from the Christian church in the notion some subscribe to of “pantheism,” where the belief is that God is present in everything. These people see God in all of nature and essentially worship nature. I don’t worship nature but I do appreciate it. I do marvel at its majesty. I don’t think I ever did before a couple of years ago. I didn’t much appreciate the bright colors of flowers or the crystal clear ocean waters in the Caribbean. After all, it takes appreciation and a sense to see sometimes the small things in nature in order to see God in them. But driving across Iceland today, it would be unfathomable to me to not believe in God. A God that created such beauty, such majesty. The skies do proclaim his work!
Wanted to write some of the moments I recall where I most believe I saw God’s revelation in nature…
1) Sunsets while on vacation with my wife. Something man can’t make. Can’t replicate. We try with our own lights but we can’t outdo the sun.
2) The mountains of Alaska and mountains in general. So large, larger than anything manmande. God above everything on earth, even skyscrapers.
3) The timely nature of the geiser. Shooting up every 4–8 minutes like clockwork. It’s truly God’s own Bellagio fountains, always on time! And unlike those, his don’t need repairs or top-40 music to be awesome.
I’m writing this while flying over frozen Canada. Out my window is an ice covered mountain expanse to which I can’t see an end. Gosh! It’s gorgeous.
God truly has created so much for us to enjoy, to marvel at. He has revealed himself all around us, I just hope to continue to stop, take a look, and appreciate it.
I pray today to remember to look for God’s revelations in nature. Not just to look but to appreciate them. To never forget that nature is God’s revelation. I pray for people struggling with debt and addiction. I pray for the family of Auditor Schweich in Missouri.
Listening to: Tracy Chapman, Fast Car
Grateful today for: Nature. My best buddy Derek. My mother. Having a job and work
Found Christ at 18. Baylor B.A. in Religion. UT PhD Student. Baylor Guest Faculty. http://www.vincentharris.com
