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Day 37 - Issue 17 - 16/08/16
Ecclesiastes 1:4 NLT
'Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes.'
Some years ago I did a lot of work in Seattle, USA. It was my first venture to the United States and my first encounter with wilderness. In Britain we are never far from some sign of habitation, an electricity pylon, a field boundary, or by scanning the horizon from a high vantage point, we can identify a hamlet. Here, however, at the foot of Mount Rainier, there was true uninhabited space, sufficient to take my breath away.
The mountain rises over 14,000ft or 4,000m (around half the height of Everest) and is majestic from any angle. Standing in its shadow, it is a monster. It has occupied this space for eons, and its very presence and stability highlighted my own instability. We’re here for just a brief moment in time compared to the reality of God’s enduring creation. As creatures we occupy and seek to tame the landscape for our own benefit, yet our efforts are pitiful, and creation overwhelms them the moment we abandon them or are no longer able to care for them.
While nature is admired and offers permanence, my own life is just one more to be counted off against the passing years. The writer reflects how easily one generation replaces another in the unchanging natural landscape. Yet, while this might appear a source of despair, the encouraging truth lies in the fact that we are formed to live and serve the vision of God in the brief span allotted to us on earth. The apparent solidity of nature all around reminds us of the diversity as well as the enduring continuity of our God. We are invited and privileged to take our years to develop an intimate friendship with God, one we model to rising generations. That friendship can grow in assurance and delight at the thought of our final departure from this earth to continue in God’s presence while leaving those who follow us to ponder the permanence of God’s creation against their own temporary and short life, as we once did.
QUESTION: Consider taking time to take a walk and look closely and ponder the lasting beauty of God’s creation.
PRAYER: Everlasting God, we are but a speck of dust. How amazing that you know us and love us in Christ.
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By PremierEcclesiastes 1:4 NLT
'Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes.'
Some years ago I did a lot of work in Seattle, USA. It was my first venture to the United States and my first encounter with wilderness. In Britain we are never far from some sign of habitation, an electricity pylon, a field boundary, or by scanning the horizon from a high vantage point, we can identify a hamlet. Here, however, at the foot of Mount Rainier, there was true uninhabited space, sufficient to take my breath away.
The mountain rises over 14,000ft or 4,000m (around half the height of Everest) and is majestic from any angle. Standing in its shadow, it is a monster. It has occupied this space for eons, and its very presence and stability highlighted my own instability. We’re here for just a brief moment in time compared to the reality of God’s enduring creation. As creatures we occupy and seek to tame the landscape for our own benefit, yet our efforts are pitiful, and creation overwhelms them the moment we abandon them or are no longer able to care for them.
While nature is admired and offers permanence, my own life is just one more to be counted off against the passing years. The writer reflects how easily one generation replaces another in the unchanging natural landscape. Yet, while this might appear a source of despair, the encouraging truth lies in the fact that we are formed to live and serve the vision of God in the brief span allotted to us on earth. The apparent solidity of nature all around reminds us of the diversity as well as the enduring continuity of our God. We are invited and privileged to take our years to develop an intimate friendship with God, one we model to rising generations. That friendship can grow in assurance and delight at the thought of our final departure from this earth to continue in God’s presence while leaving those who follow us to ponder the permanence of God’s creation against their own temporary and short life, as we once did.
QUESTION: Consider taking time to take a walk and look closely and ponder the lasting beauty of God’s creation.
PRAYER: Everlasting God, we are but a speck of dust. How amazing that you know us and love us in Christ.