“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalms 19:1 NIV)
Today I am winging my way to western New York to spend a few days with my dearest friend. I scored a window seat at the front of the plane and immediately propped both shades up for wider view of the world from 10,000 feet.
We peeled away from the earth and I watched our fair city fade beneath morning fog followed by dense cloud cover. When I hadn’t seen the ground for many miles, I opened my book, content to learn from Levi Lusko until landing. I don’t know what caused me to glance up from its pages, but when I did, I audibly gasped. The pillowy formations just outside my window were so fantastic, it seemed like I was dreaming. Dark and light co-existed in mesmerizing beauty; deepest blue and brightest white piled up beside each other with golden streams of sunlight pouring through the gaps.
I looked about the cabin, concerned that everyone else aboard the flight was beholding the beauty just beyond our wings. Sadly, the passengers about buried in books or devices, adrift with sleeping masks and shuttered windows, oblivious to the glory show were uniquely privy to. I turned back to the clouds, unwilling to let it go unseen. The evolving landscape delighted me for full minutes while we made our way through moisture mountains of cumulus clouds and golden sunshine. As quickly as we had arrived, we departed. The range of vapors fell behind our flight pattern and I was carried along at jet speed, tugged away with a few photos and a deep sense of wonder.
It’s crazy to think the clouds I saw this morning were singularly enjoyed by God alone until man took flight just a hundred or so years ago. The wild beauty of cloud tops took me by surprise. God created the atmospheric peaks of our world for His good pleasure – doing all things well simply for the sake of doing all things well. As I considered this my heart nearly burst with the sheer glory of it; God’s attention to detail and delight in even the hidden-most aspects of His world — it’s awe-inspiring. Wonder inducing. Praise producing.
Joni Mitchell’s lyrics dance through my head as I soar over the earth on this fine morning. “I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now…” and I am changed by the joy of it.
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” (Psalms 8:3-4 NIV)
Lord, You do such beautiful work even when we aren’t paying any attention.
Thank You for Your endless effort, for Your consistent creativity. Help us to look up, look around, and revel in the beauty You have designed all about us. May the intricacies of creation cause awe and wonder in our souls as we consider the work of Your hands.
May we join with the earth and lift our praise to You. Amen.