Our Powerful and Personal God

He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth--the Lord God Almighty is his name.--Amos 4:13

Have you ever stopped and thought about all the amazing things that God has made and done? Have you ever seen a leaf on the ground, stooped to pick it up, then marveled at it as you thought to yourself "God made this leaf!" What goes through your mind when you see the wind make wave-like patterns in the long grass on a hillside? Have you ever been keenly aware of God's presence as you sit in the quiet and solitude after spending time reading your Bible?

Being in the environmental field gives me a lot of opportunities to experience God in nature. I am continually awed by the ways he has designed the earth's geography, biology, physiology to work together. I think my line of work has made just as much impact on my spiritual life as my involvement in church activities. That's one's thing that I find particularly intriguing about God; he is not limited or bound by any specific location or activity. Because he is infinite and omnipotent, he is a constant presence and influence in my life no matter where I am.

Look at today's verse again. Did you notice that tucked within a list of things visible in nature is the mention of something deeply spiritual and personal? God is responsible for all the things we see and all of the things we don't. The Lord God Almighty formed everything. He paints the dawn and the sunset; he kisses the earth with breezes and bathes it in raindrops. As powerful as he is, he has chosen in the midst of all that, to speak to us. Somewhere between the first faint colors of a new morning and the stillness of another night, he spends time with us and reveals to us his thoughts.

I sing for joy at the work of his hands! There is so much beauty in every day, and one of the most incredible things to think about is that God, our God--the Creator of all things--calls us by name and desires a personal relationship with us. He finds worth in us. We are just as lovely to him as the snow-capped mountains. He loves us, cares for us, and clothes us more splendidly than the lilies of the field. The Lord God Almighty is his name, and we can know him personally.