Alive and At Work in the World

I love the Dennis the Menace Comic where Dennis and his friend Joey are standing outside looking up at a rainbow. Dennis points up and says, “Look, Joey! God’s got his colorin’ set out!”

Do you ever have that sense? 

Several years ago now, our family went to a summer church camp. In Bible study one morning, we heard a story from a man who told about his childhood faith growing up. He shared with us that his family always went to church. It was a big part of their lives. They also spent a lot of time outdoors fishing, hiking, and camping. But the two never merged. Then one day, as a pre-teen, he was wandering around by a creek near their lodge and he found an injured blue jay. As he picked it up, he was awestruck at the intricate markings on the bird – which looked as though they had been hand-painted. Then it dawned on him that they had been hand-painted – by the very hand of God. From that moment on, his understanding of God at work in the world began to grow. God was not bound to a building – but alive and creating and recreating in the world all around us. 

Today, may you look at the world around you. May you notice God’s handiwork. And may awe and amazement lead you to praise.  

Let us pray: Caring God, you who stretched out the heavens and flung the stars across the sky; you who created the giraffe and the platypus, the butterfly and the bluejay, and even us, we praise you. We praise you for your ongoing creation, your renewal and restoration, and abiding love for all that you have made. Give us eyes to see you in the beauty of this world, and hearts to respond. We pray in the name of the One who said, “Behold, I make all things new!” Amen.