I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. [Psalm 145:1-5]
While we appreciate many of the benefits of modern technology, one of the negative results of our technological progress is its capacity to isolate us from the natural world—our Savior’s creation.
Almost imperceptibly many of us have lost touch with the natural world around us, and as a result, we’ve lost a vital sensitivity that helps us understand and appreciate God and His creative power as David did in this psalm.
In addition, we’ve lost a much-needed source of healing for the human spirit. “Take time to smell the flowers” is not idle advice. And as Francis Schaeffer reminded us, “the death of our joy in nature is leading to the death of nature itself.” Experiencing and enjoying the outdoors is a key antidote for much of what ails us in these stressful times.
Finally, we are losing familiarity with the creation as a source of knowledge and inspiration that instructed the preachers and poets of old.
Consider these:
- Robert Burns who, touched by plowing up a mouse’s nest, exclaimed, “The best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray, and leave us naught but grief and pain for promised joy!
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who, pondering depressions on a sandy beach, drew this analogy: “Lives of all great men remind us we can make our lives sublime and, departing, leave behind us footprints on the sands of time.”
- Thomas Gray who, reflecting on the noble souls who dwell unheralded in country cottages, wants us to remember that, “Full many a flower is born to blush unseen and waste its sweetness on the desert air.”
- Robert Frost who, comparing his life’s journey to a walk in the autumn forest, tells us that “two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”
- William Cullen Bryant who, observing a lone waterfowl in flight, mused, “He who, from zone to zone / Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, / In the long way I must tread alone, / Will guide my steps aright.”
- Joaquin Miller, who, examining a tree, exulted, “Ten thousand leaves on every tree, / And each a miracle to me; / And yet there be men who question God!”
How long has it been since you have been inspired by God’s creation to see with the vision of a poet? If it’s been more than a few months, you probably need a nature refresher.
November 18th, 2009 at 8:39 am
Dean, I too love poetry, The poetic verse found in the Psalms, the poet’s talent to express what we all try to. The unspoken poetry of the natural world.
For most, unexpressable beauty, that touches something deep and ancient in all of us.
Thanks
Steve
November 18th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Inspiration from nature. I don’t have poetic abilities, but this reminds me of years ago when my children were still home, and on a Sunday afternoon, or a free weekend, our family would head to the mountains. The kids would ask that we take the main highway, but my usual response was, “lets take a shortcut”. They knew what was coming: Dad would veer off the main road, and try to find an unimproved road where there was little or no traffic so we could be pretty much by ourselves and then stop and hike in God’s natural setting.
My daughter was “inspired” to cross stitch the following for my birthday one year: A Trip of a Thousand Miles begins with Dad saying, “I know a shortcut”.
I still have that hanging on the wall.
November 18th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Dean: Your entry reminded me that I have once more slipped into “the comfort zone” and away from nature. It’s so easy to seek comfort. The natural world is uncomfortable for our bodies, especially as we age into constant aches and pains. Nature seems so drafty and damp, gritty and muddy, hard and bumpy. We want thermostatically controlled air around us, cushions to sit and lay on, and flat surfaces for walking. The irony is that too much comfort, too much softness makes us soft, encourages our self-centeredness and concern. God wants to wake us up! He wants us aware of being alive and living in Him. My church was built in the 1920s and has hard wooden pews with only a thin pad to sit on. The sanctuary isn’t for comfort, but for worship, for listening fully awake to the Word of God and what it means to us. In the tabernacle and the temple God designed for Israel there was the Mercy Seat, but that was a location of grace and forgiveness, not a place for the people to sit down on the job. People had to stand and walk and serve when they were in God’s presence. They didn’t sit down comfortably and rest. They were to be aware of God, His holiness, His desire to be among us. Today we don’t have that tabernacle or temple, but the natural world around us is another good place for us to “wake up” to God. Thanks for the nudge! Linda
November 19th, 2009 at 8:53 am
Linda, I know what you mean about aging bodies needing comfort, and being 66, I feel that aging more and more. But I have found that being outdoors, hiking miles into the forests and up and down mountains is some of the best therapy I can have.
And you are right, the temples are gone, but when I’m in the outdoors, away from the crowds, the woods become a cathedral for worship and meditation. There’s nothing like it.
Bob
November 19th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Dean, I like to solve the “Celebrity cipher” in the morning news paper. This mornings, I though was apropriate for this subject.
“In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows.”
Ralph W. Emerson
Steve
November 19th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Following is the solution to a cryptoquote in the newspaper yesterday. Made me think of your blog for which I am grateful!
“In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows.”
Ralph W Emerson