Don’t Just Stop to Smell The Flowers

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Yosemite National Park Don’t Just Stop to Smell The Flowers

My son and I had the chance to visit Yosemite National Park in California and I have to say, you would have to try really hard to deny our God his rightful place as the glorious creator of everything.

This is one of those places hard to describe. Yes, it was fun. Yes, the weather was perfect. Yes, it felt peaceful to be surrounded by nature. To have all your senses activated as you listen to the birds proclaiming His Glory in every tweet and be reminded that every leaf was brought forth by His word and every animal big and small declare his dominium as we experience His handy work and His absolute and undeniable power.

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you,

   or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;

or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,

   or let the fish in the sea inform you.

Which of all these does not know

   that the hand of the Lord has done this?

In his hand is the life of every creature

   and the breath of all mankind.”

Job 12:7-10

Yosemite National Park The clean air and cleaness of the streets, the roar of the waters and the bright blue sky pointed directly to God’s Glory. As the afternoon sun cut through the trees and brighten this mountain top, we could only gaze in wonder, admiration, reverence and respect.

“The heavens declare the glory of God;

   the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;

   night after night they reveal knowledge.

They have no speech, they use no words;

   no sound is heard from them.

Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,

   their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.

Psalm 19:1-4

Yosemite National Park It’s that moment when it hits you like a ton of bricks – nature brings praise to God the almighty. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel. Yeshua’s dad established nature as the very first missionary on earth. It’s goal: To point and proclaim glory to the one and only true God.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

Romans 1:20

Yosemite National Park As my son and I walked around, biked around and drove around Yosemite, we could not help ourselves but to stop everywhere to take photos, videos and most importantly, to experience the beauty that words simply can’t explain. Curiously enough, we came to the conclusion that the photos and videos or even the 360 videos could not fully capture Yosemite and the awe we were experiencing.

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord from the heavens;

   praise him in the heights above.

Praise him, all his angels;

   praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon;

   praise him, all you shining stars.

Praise him, you highest heavens

   and you waters above the skies.

Let them praise the name of the Lord,

   for at his command they were created,

and he established them for ever and ever—

   he issued a decree that will never pass away.

Psalm 148:1-6

Yosemite National Park Then we realized that with the short number of park rangers, maintenance employees and the immensity of the park’s footprint, there was simply no way that man could maintain all of that. We are talking about 747,956 acres (1,168.681 sq mi; 302,687 ha; 3,026.87 km2) packed with granite cliffs, waterfalls, streams, giant trees, lakes, mountains, meadows, glaciers and an amazing biological diversity with almost 95% of the park designated as wilderness. No lions and no tigers, but plenty of bears, birds, squirrels, deer, lizards, marmots, beavers and more species than you can see in months of exploration. A great place to realize that the Almighty is who controls and balances all that nature. That’s pure perfection.

Praise the Lord from the earth,

   you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

lightning and hail, snow and clouds,

   stormy winds that do his bidding,

you mountains and all hills,

   fruit trees and all cedars,

wild animals and all cattle,

   small creatures and flying birds,

Psalm 148:7-10

Yosemite National Park The mountains you ask? Wow. So, breathtaking, peaceful and bursting with life. This experience brought into understanding Isaiah’s statement when he said:

You will go out in joy

   and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and hills

   will burst into song before you,

and all the trees of the field

   will clap their hands.

Isaiah 55:12

Yosemite National Park So, we hope this short post is going to entice you to read more of God’s Word and meditate in it day and night. Realize that His amazing creation is not struggling to exist. Just like the evidence at Yosemite that no one is mowing all of the grass, trimming all the trees, feeding all the animals or chlorinating the waters… Realize that God is who holds it all together in the person of Yeshua His son. We didn’t build Yosemite National Park, we just named it and attempt to preserve it. All of it works simply because it does. Just like that, it’s not enough to just stop to smell the flowers. You need to meditate in Him and realize that is through His Word that all was made and by His hands we were formed with the purpose to honor and glorify Him. Now you get to choose to just think about it or act about it and in reverence, surrender your will to Him.