Articles
Osprey -the Heavens Declare
R E F L E C T I O N S
Thoughts on nature and the Christian faith
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"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the
sky above proclaims his handiwork." - Ps. 19:1
Imagine you are a bird like this osprey, flying back to its home under the brilliant canopy of a fiery sunset. Would you even notice the splendor above you? And if you did, what would you make of it? I sometimes wonder what the various creatures of this world think of the beauty that often surrounds them. As for us humans, I am afraid the answer is we seldom even notice it. Photography has taught me to see beauty in places I previously ignored. Just looking at a sunset like this now fills me with awe, and that awe doesn't confine itself just to the sky, but to the Maker of the sky. The heavens do declare the glory of God, and the sky does proclaim God's handiwork. Science can explain much of this. It can explain how the clouds are formed and even what causes the various colors. But science can only take us so far. There is a limit to human knowledge. If truth were a mountain, then science would allow us to climb only so high. Theology could take us higher, but it also has its limits. Faith takes us through the mist until we arrive at the summit and find what and who awaits us there. Then, and only then, will we be capable of experiencing what we were created for, and that is true, unhindered, boundless worship at the feet of the One who is the embodiment of truth. We now live in a world where much is hidden from us by our own limitations. But that is no excuse for us not seeing what can be seen, and not experiencing what can be experienced. We are surrounded, both above us and beneath us, with witnesses to the glory of God. But so many of us are like this osprey, so intent on reaching our temporal destination that we don't notice the glory of God that overshadows us and calls us to fly higher. - John
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