Solitary Refinement
Part of my morning routine includes setting on the edge of a lake and doing nothing. I just sit there and look around me. I enjoy the trees, clouds, weeds, turtles, tadpoles, geese, and rippling water. I feel a gentle freeze, a drizzle, or sometimes a harsh cold stillness. I hear the wind in the trees, birds singing, frogs croaking. I smell the honeysuckle and blooming trees. Before long I automatically start praising God as the creator of all. How can I not, when all nature does.
In all seasons, my corner of creation may have a new sermon for me, a different lesson about the Creator of all, His love for us, and helping us weather any storm.
The greatest artists and architects cannot create beauty greater than what I see daily. The greatest musicians cannot equal the chorus of birds and other animals. We may strive to create something great, but it pales next to what God does around us every day.
If we follow the example Jesus gave us, we should seek solitary places to recharge (see Mat 14:13, 23; Mar 1:35; Luk 4:42; 9:18).
When Jesus was being criticized for allowing the people to praise Him, He said, "I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out" (Luke 19:40). If you wonder if God’s creation praises Him, consider what the psalmist wrote:
The Lord is good to all, and His compassion is over all that He has made. All Thy works shall give thanks to Thee, O Lord, and all Thy saints shall bless Thee! They shall speak of the glory of Thy kingdom, and tell of Thy power, to make known to the sons of men Thy mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of Thy kingdom. (Psalm 145:9-12)
In another passage, the psalmist describes parts of God’s creation then adds this:
May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in His works, He who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to Him, as I rejoice in the LORD. (Psalm 104:31-34)
Our lives are bombarded with noise, activities, and distractions. We need to take time, to be still, and know that He is God (see Psa 46:10).
–Jay Crook