Tuesday, August 16, 2005

More on Mountains and Meadows

This weekend trip was not just about doing something I once thought I couldn't do. I also gained a bit of long-sought-after perspective about God. Any time I get out into nature, I get such a profound sense of awe at his handiwork and just who he IS...

This is what the Lord says, "The heavens are my throne, and earth is my footstool."

Those huge looming mountains that go off in the distance for what seems like forever? The are God's footstool. What he rests his big toe on. This is the God who created the universe. Mighty. Powerful. Awesome. Holy.

The Earth is the Lord's and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.
Who may ascend the mount of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?

Surely not I? And yet God is intensely personal and intimate. Walking through the meadows, the summer breeze bringing the smell of dirt and wildflowers, the sound of countless mountain streams burbling down the slope, the lake and the mountains spread before me, God whispered the Psalm my grandma made me memorize as a child...

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul...

I was in need of some soul-restoring. This weekend was God's gift to me.

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace
the mountains and hills will burst into song before you
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands...

No comments: