The reds and the yellows fought each other in the heavens. Each color bled into the other, across the North Georgia sky, while my wife and I stared in amazement. It was after eight-thirty on a muggy June evening. We had almost finished our two-mile walk around the neighborhood. Gina yelled: “Slow Down!” I tend to walk fast. I’m always telling her, “Walk up here with me.” She always says in response, “You walk too fast!” This time I stopped. I took my eyes off of the road and looked up. The lyrics to a song came to mind. 

“What does all this beauty mean? It captures my attention and I’m speechless, sunset Tennessee. Colors burst across the sky. Slowly fading golden rays, greet the moon and kiss the day goodbye. And I, do I understand? Is this Your voice saying, “Here I am?” (Here, Amy Grant)

The Creator still speaks through His creation. One of the names for God is Elohim, or Creator. His artwork still shows UP. I love painting watercolors. One reason why, is the bleeding affect this medium offers, as colors bleed into each other. But, when I use that medium, I already have stuff to work with, like brushes, water, paints, and paper made uniquely for watercolors. God painted this world when He “spoke it”, into existence. He created this world ex-nihilo. That Latin phrase  means “out of nothing”.

So what is the point of nature and creation? Paul answers that question in his book Romans. He said:

“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and the sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities-His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” (1:20, NLT)

If folks are struggling, with jumping over the hurdle in their mind of, “Does God exist?”, then for starters, they just need to open their eyes. Because once they do, they have no excuse for not taking the next jump: knowing the God who made planet earth and the cosmos. In the movie Contact, Dr. Ellie Arroway, (portrayed by Jodie Foster) alludes to the fact that if there is no life on other planets, then it is a waste. Is it? David said, “The heavens proclaim the glory of God…” (Psalm 19:1a, NLT)

God, the ultimate artist, entered the world He created, by becoming a person. For an artist to enter the world He painted is beyond imagination. That’s where faith comes in. He not only walked amongst us, but took our junk, our shame, our sins and bore them on the cross.

Jesus’ crimson blood bled into our ebony stain of sin, and covered it. If that wasn’t enough, His Father raised Him from the dead. Since God is alive, His Spirit offers to take up residence within us, if we would ask.

We can stop, and give God credit, or keep truckin’. Why not listen to His creation and worship Him?

pictures courtesy of “Gina & her iPhone” and “Nelson & his Nikon”

Nelson’s watercolors can be viewed under the Menu.