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Q. What if I have trouble seeing God in nature?

A. If we don't appreciate the out-of-doors, then maybe we don't appreciate the Creator. In our age—born in the antiseptic environment of a hospital, taken home to a nursery that consists of Sheetrock coated with paint, and driven through the countryside in a metal contraption called a car—our ability to appreciate and meet God in creation is stunted, to say the least. You must first create a space of time, quiet, and isolation. When you come to the woods, come to receive. Leave your worries at home.

Well, say I do that, then what do I do?

Saint Bonaventure, a disciple of Francis of Assisi, suggested a grid through which we may train ourselves to experience God out of doors.

First, consider the greatness of creation—mountains, sky, and oceans—that clearly portrays the immensity of the power, wisdom, and goodness of the triune God.

Next, look at the diversity of creation. A forest, with more plant and animal life than you could examine in a lifetime, shows us God can do many things at once. Those who wonder how God can hear many prayers uttered simultaneously have been out of the forest too long.

Finally, examine the beauty of creation—the shapes, colors, and shades of rocks, the beauty of individual elements (like trees), and the beauty of overall composition (like forests). God's beauty cannot be revealed through a single form. It is so vast and infinite that it can fill an entire world with wonder.

Gary Thomas is the author of Sacred Pathways.

Adapted from Sacred Pathways (Zondervan, 1996) by permission.

Copyright © 2003 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Almighty God, restore my sense of wonder at the magnificent immensity You have created.

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