For the Beauty of the Earth

Joni and Friends Daily Devotional
April 25, 2010

For the Beauty of the Earth
Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs? -- Job 38:31-32


For the wonder of each hour of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale and tree and flower, sun and moon and stars of light.
Lord of All, to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.

I was thinking about this hymn recently when I showed up early at church for a prayer meeting. The front door was locked; so I sat outside and enjoyed the stars. Within a minute or two, Chris, a college student, drove up.

As we waited together, I pointed out to Chris the various constellations.

I could tell he thought I was a little strange to know so much about the stars, as though I were into astrology or something. I said, "Chris, did you know Orion is mentioned in the Bible?" He really looked at me funny then. I told him we would look it up when we went inside.

Later, I showed him Job 38:31. To put it mildly, he was pleasantly surprised. All the beauty of the earth, the glories of the night sky, the fields, the birds, all of this magnificent beauty is God's. It's not the property of astrologers, naturalists, Greenpeace, or New Agers. It's all owned by the Lord. And it's another reason to praise him.

Go outside and look around you. Find five things in nature to praise God for. And if that's too easy, look for ten. He has surrounded us with bounteous beauty -- and a myriad of reasons to sing His praise.

* * * * *

Lord of all, I praise you for the beauty you spread out before me to enjoy any hour of the day or night. When I try to take it in, I realize it's too wonderful to fully comprehend, just as you are. I am grateful for all this.

Blessings,

Joni and Friends
www.joniandfriends.org