And . . . God Created

Today's episode included portions from:

"Creation Show God's Steadfast Love"

"Faith Lessons from the Barnyard"

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Dannah Gresh: The lightning bugs blinking off and on in luminescent yellow . . . 

The sun rising, surrounded by a thousand shades of orange . . . 

The freckles on your daughter’s nose . . .

What if each of these things is a messenger, intended to teach you something about God? Here’s my dear friend, Erin Davis.

Erin Davis: “Look at the plants; they’re telling you something about who I am. Look at the seeds; they’re telling you something about how the Word of God impacts your life. Look at the stars, look at the sun; it’s all revealing something about My character.”

Dannah: Today, let’s wonder about the God who created . . . everything.

Hi, I’m Dannah Gresh and you’re listening to Revive Our Hearts Weekend. 

Erin and I frequently text each other pictures of wild creatures, like cave dwelling olms! She actually sent me one like that. They’re blind salamanders, because who needs eyes in a cave! Why did Erin text me a photo of one? Because we both get very excited about seeing God’s character in His creation. 

Do you?

Have you ever stopped to consider the extravagance of God’s creation? I mean, He could have just made one kind of bird. Instead, He made more than 10,000 species! (My favorite is the pileated woodpecker—just had one of those big guys at my feeder last week for like ten minutes! Wow! Wow! Wow!) 

God could have made just one kind of tree, but He made over 60,000! In every shape and hue. I’ve got a magnificent 90 foot specimen in my yard that no one seems to be able to identify. It’s a beauty!

Well, why did God make nature with so much variety and vibrancy? Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth always has answers for our questions, don't you think? Well actually, she relies on the Bible and she loves to study, and that’s why she has so much wisdom to share. Anyway, back to the question at hand: why did God make nature with so much variety and vibrancy? Here’s Nancy with an answer that will have you stepping outside to enjoy God’s creation with fresh awe and wonder. 

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: He made this world for us to live in. He made it for our delight and our enjoyment. He’s not just a functional, utilitarian God. Things do function; they function well, but He made it for our joy, for His joy, and our enjoyment. He made it to reveal His character to us, His goodness and His steadfast love. 

This is what we read in Romans chapter 1:19 about how Creation reveals the character of God. It says, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.” These are people in parts of the world where they’ve never had a Bible, they’ve never had a hymnal, they’ve never had a church, they don’t know the name, Jesus. 

But they have eyes and ears. . They can feel, they can touch, they can taste. They see this created world. God has made Himself plain to them.

For his invisible attributes [His goodness, His steadfast love, these you can’t touch those, you can’t see those, but His invisible attributes], namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse (v. 20).

Who is without excuse? Those who say, “There’s no God. I don’t believe in God. God didn’t create this world. God’s not loving. God is not powerful. God isn’t good.” No, they have evidence in front of them and around them every day. 

They stand on it; they sit on it; they move in it; they breathe it; they see it at night; they see it in the day—the evidence of the goodness and the steadfast love of the Lord. God showed His eternal covenant-keeping love—His hesed, His faithfulness—by creating this world.

I read in a sermon about this passage, one writer who said, 

Things are not as they are because they have to be, but because God first loved them into being. He continues to sustain them by this love, and will yet somehow transform them further in love. 

That steadfast love of the Lord underlies His creation in its origins, in its sustenance, in its continuity, in its future. The love and mercy of God will always be the steadfast bedrock for everything in this world. The created order of the heavens and the earth reflects the steadfast covenant keeping love of God! 

There’s an interesting passage in Jeremiah chapter 31 that makes this clear. Jeremiah 31:35:

Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night . . . the Lord of hosts is his name . . . If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the Lord, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever (vv. 35–36). 

What is God saying? The fixed order of this universe, the fact that the sun comes up again tomorrow, and the next day and the next day. We here in Michigan don’t always see the sun But it’s there! 

There are seasons; there is day; there is night; there is routine; there is regularity to all of this. There’s a fixed order that doesn’t change. God says, “That’s what My covenant-keeping love is like.” 

If those things could change, if the sun could just fall out of the sky or forget to shine or a day could become forty-eight hours instead of twenty-four hours, if things went into this random helpless, hopeless chance, then God says, “I would forget my covenant with you.” But they’re not going to go into chaos until God says it’s time for this fixed order to change. 

And God says, “As they don’t change, so I don’t change! My steadfast love for you, my covenant with you is fixed.” And so, the psalmist says in Psalm 8:3–4, 

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?

When you stand watching the sunset, when you look up into the night sky and you see twinkling stars, too many to count, when you wake up during the night and you see the full moon lighting up the earth below, remember how big God is! Remember how small you are! And marvel that this God is not only great, but He is also good!

He not only keeps this entire universe going in its fixed order, but He knows you. He sees you, He cares for you. His steadfast love is forever! 

When you see this created world and you contemplate who God is and what it reveals about Him, then give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His steadfast love endures: how long? Forever! Amen!

Dannah: I need to be reminded every day how big God is. Everything else shrinks in comparison to who He is. Thanks for reminding us of that, Nancy.

Nancy spent a couple of weeks teaching through God’s steadfast love for us. Creation expresses God’s affection and care so well, doesn’t it? Well, we have a link for you to listen to that series. Go to ReviveOurHearts.com/weekend and look for today’s episode, “And . . . God Created.” I’ll put a link there to the rest of Nancy’s teaching.

You’re listening to Revive Our Hearts Weekend, and I’m Dannah Gresh.

I’m sitting outside right now. The sun is shining; there’s a gentle breeze, and I’m looking over the pasture at the horses and goats. The wonder of God’s creation. I recently spent some time talking about these "creature teachers" of mine and all that I’ve learned from my fur babies on my podcast for girls and their moms. It’s called True Girl. Look for the True Girl podcast and season #5: "Faith Lessons from the Barnyard. "You’ll find it wherever you get your podcasts.

In fact, here’s a little bit of what’s waiting for the little girl in your life. Here’s my cohost Staci Rudolph. 

Staci Rudolph: We’re gonna meet some of the animals on Dannah’s farm to get a new understanding of God’s character and His power. Does that sound like a stretch?

Let’s jump right into the truth verse of the day. This is Romans 1:20, it says:

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and 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.

That verse reminds us that since the time God created the world, people have been able to understand two things about Him.

Number 1: His power

Dannah: Oh, God has a lot of that!

Staci: You know it! 

Number 2: His divine nature 

Dannah: Or His character.

Staci: Yep! Now, character is the pattern of thoughts, actions, and feelings someone shows over time. Right, Dannah?

Dannah: Yeah, right. 

Staci: The character of someone tells us how we can depend on them to think, act, and feel now and in the future. For example, God is powerful. That’s part of His divine nature.

Dannah: Wouldn’t ya like to know how God thinks about you? Or how you can depend on Him to act in your life? Well, God’s creation helps us observe things about Him.

Staci: Absolutely. If you wanna know about God’s character, just ask the animals. 

Song: “God of Wonders”

Lord of all creation
Of water, earth, and sky.
Heavens are Your tabernacle,
Glory to the Lord on high.

God of wonders beyond our galaxy,
You are holy, holy.
The universe declares Your majesty.
You are holy, holy. 

Lord of heaven and earth.
Lord of heaven and earth.

Early in the morning,
I will celebrate the light.
When I stumble in the darkness,
I will call up Your name by night.

God of wonders beyond our galaxy,
You are holy, holy.
The universe declares Your majesty.
You are holy, holy. 

Lord of heaven and earth.
Lord of heaven and earth.

Hallelujah! To the Lord of heaven and earth.
Hallelujah! To the Lord of heaven and earth.
Hallelujah! To the Lord of heaven and earth.

God of wonders beyond our galaxy,
You are holy, holy.
The universe declares Your majesty.
You are holy, holy. 

God of wonders beyond our galaxy,
You are holy, holy.
The universe declares Your majesty.
You are holy, holy. 

Lord of heaven and earth.
Lord of heaven and earth.
Lord of heaven and earth.
Lord of heaven and earth.¹

Dannah: I’ve often heard my friend Erin Davis say God shows us Himself, all we have to do is step outside and look. I think she’s right. 

The peacocks that live on my farm . . .

The flowers that are blooming in my gardens . . .

The ruby throated hummingbirds that visit my mom’s back yard . . .

When I take the time to notice them, joy always bubbles up in me, and I see a God who cares. 

Here’s Erin with more on that thought. 

Erin: I am fond of saying that creation is God’s first missionary, and I get that idea from Romans 1. Romans 1:20 says, “For His invisible attributes, namely His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made.” The big idea is that you can step outside your front door right now and you can look around at trees and flowers and birds and caterpillars, and you can perceive something about God - namely that you’re not Him, because you didn’t create all of the things that you see. Someone bigger than you, someone better than you, someone more creative than you made everything in creation.

I also like to say that I feel like Christians would have a lot more joy if we just stepped outside once in a while. For me, where the rubber meets the road of that idea (that creation is God’s first missionary) is when I’m working in the dirt. I’m so excited, because the day that I’m recording this is the day that I get to plant my garden, which I look forward to the whole rest of the year. I put little seeds in the ground, and I do pray for them as I’m planting them, and I ask the Lord to make them fruitful and multiply (which He does), and then in a matter of weeks there are green leaves, and then a few weeks after that there’s squash and tomatoes and sweet peas and eggplant and garlic, and I could go on and on and on. Then, a few weeks after that, it’s all ready to harvest, and then it comes in and it goes into jars and it goes into the freezer, and it feeds my family all year long. And I know all I did was till up some dirt and put some seeds in it, but God did everything else.

The Bible is lots of things, but one of the things that it is is a farmer’s almanac. There are all kinds of agrarian language in Scripture, and that’s because God is saying, “Look at the plants. They’re telling you something about who I am. Look at the seeds; they’re telling you something about how the Word of God impacts your life. Look at the stars, look at the sun; it’s all revealing something about my character.”

So that rhythm that I am fortunate to have on the little farm where I live, of seeing God produce crops for me to eat every year, is one of the most spiritual things I get to do. It’s one of the ways I encounter God most intimately, because He’s doing the work; I just get to be a part of it. And it really does reveal so much about who He is.

Dannah: That’s Erin Davis. I’m still stuck on her statement that creation is God’s first missionary. 

Erin is cohost of our weekly videocast and podcast here at Revive Our Hearts. It’s called Grounded. To watch our latest episode, go to ReviveOurHearts.com/weekend.

"The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah." Did you ever sing that song with your kids?

Robert Wolgemuth remembers watching his daughters experience the wonder of creation when they were little girls. He says that something as small and seemingly insignificant as an ant can remind us of the splendor of our Creator. 

Robert recently sat down with our producer, Michelle Hill, to talk more about that. Lean in and listen to their conversation. But I’ve got to warn you, you may not feel the same about swatting at a little ant the next time he crawls up your picnic table. 

Michelle Hill: How does creation help us to look up and see our Creator?

Robert Wolgemuth: There’s no other way to explain the wonder of creation if you just open your eyes and see. When my girls were little (now they’re fifty and forty-seven, so that’s a long time ago), we would be on a walk. We’d see ants going across the sidewalk in a parade, in a single-file parade, carrying little grains of sand to build a little anthill. We would say, “Isn’t God amazing?”

If you stop long enough to pay attention to God’s creativity, big things and little things, ants and the Grand Tetons . . . I looked out my window two days ago. Nancy was sitting there with me, and an eagle flew past. You can tell by the white head, the white tail. It takes your breath away.

All you have to do is pay attention. What’s the expression, “Credit where credit is due”? People who say this is hydrogen and explosion and stuff, they have way more faith than I have. I just believe the Book. I believe, “In the beginning, God . . .” I believe that He did it with the sound of His voice. He didn’t even need His hands; He just spoke it into existence.

It explains the unexplainable. It makes perfect sense to have the faith to believe that a Creator created what you and I see every day.

Michelle: You have a deck on the back of your house that you helped put there. When you and Nancy sit on that deck and look at the sunsets that fall over the St. Joe river that flows past your house, what wells up in your heart?

Robert: The same thing we’re talking about here.

The first time I visited Nancy (that was in March of ’15), I came here. I lived in Orlando, so it was cold in March. I’m thinking, What am I doing here? But I fell in love, and you do what you do because you’re in love.

We were sitting on this deck behind her house. The boards were in desperate need of repair, and it’s twelve feet off the back of her house and just rectangular. She had a round table. She had a large, oval table and probably a dozen chairs, and they were really crowded.

We’re sitting there having lunch, and I said, “It would really be fun to expand the size of this deck for you.” You talk about lines boys use! (laughter)

Nancy didn’t have any idea that I had any experience in construction. So once we got married and I started this thing, by faith she let me rent a post hole digger. She sat on the old deck and looked out on the backyard, and in one day I dug sixteen thirty-inch holes, ten inches across, in our backyard.

Michelle: Wow!

Robert: Now we sit on this deck, and we’ve entertained people from around the world on our deck—in nice weather. We look at it in the winter. But it’s been a huge blessing. I mean, basically we spend the summer out there. If you come to visit us in June, July, August, September, we’re studying, we’re reading, we’re writing on this little deck. (It’s a thousand square feet.)

You know that Nancy graduated from USC with her degree in piano performance. When I started building this deck and really rebuilding this deck, I said, “What should it look like?” She said, “I don’t want it to be just rectangular.” So I went to the local Lowe’s store and found this particle board, and I found this material. It’s actually composite, that I could bend. So I decided to make a curve in the deck.

Now it’s finished, and the landscaper is meeting with Nancy and they’re talking about what kinds of bushes to put in. He took a look at that deck and he said, “This thing is in the shape of a grand piano.” I had no idea. Isn’t God amazing?

Michelle: That is so amazing.

Robert: There’s a little bronze plaque that says, “Nancy’s grand piano deck,” and I’ve listed the names of all the young men who helped me build it. I never work alone, but I was there every day to do it. We did it in two months.

The answer to the question is, “Isn’t God amazing?” He plants these ideas in our hearts that can only be Him. Even if I don’t acknowledge that it’s Him, it can only be Him. So the answer to your question is, we love the deck when the weather’s nice, and we bathe in the luxury of the wonder of God’s creativity. Sometimes it shows up in us, sometimes it shows up in creation, but it’s there. It’s undeniable.

Dannah: It truly is undeniable. God is amazing. Thank you, Robert Wolgemuth, for reminding us of that.

When I visit and sit on that very same deck, well, I can confirm that the goodness of God is undeniable from that view. 

Let me encourage you to step outside on your deck or patio, or walk down the block today and find your own answer to the question: Isn’t God amazing?

Creation is right there for our enjoyment, whether we take the time to pay attention or not. Why don’t you take time to thank Him today?

Creation points us to heaven! I can’t wait to see the beauty that God has waiting for us there. You know, Heaven rules is the big topic we’ll be talking about at True Woman '22. I’m so excited to get together with you and so many other women from around the globe. You're signed up right? If you aren’t, I just want to share that pricing will go up at the end of this month, so be sure to register today.

I hope to see you September 22–24 in Indianapolis. And again, the theme this year is Heaven Rules. To register today, call 1-800-569-5959,  or go to ReviveOurHearts.com/weekend and click on today’s episode. It’s titled "And . . . God Created."

Jesus said that we need to forgive seventy times seven. That’s a big number, and that’s a lot of forgiving. Forgiving is not an easy thing, and next week we’ll hear from two women who have been hurt, very hurt, and had to do the hard work of forgiving. Please join me, and we’ll learn together.

Thanks for listening. 

Thanks to our team who, like me, enjoy seeing God’s creation. Phil Krause has his eyes on the look out for bald eagles, he loves the majesty of them. C.J. Raymond likes to sink his toes in the sand as he walks on the beach. Rebekah Krause has an affinity for walking through pine forests. Justin Converse holds deep affection for the sun, he’s a California boy after all, Michelle Hill could listen all day to the sound of crashing waves on a rock beach. Erin Davis is fascinated by those cave dwelling olms. And for Revive Our Hearts Weekend, I’m Dannah Gresh, and I'm about to go cuddle with my fainting goats.

Revive Our Hearts is calling women to freedom, fullness and fruitfulness in Christ.

¹ “God of Wonders,” The Worship Initiative & Shane & Shane, The Worship Initiative, Vol. 10 ℗ 2014 WellHouse Records.

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