Testimonies of Wisdom

Dear God, We acknowledge that you are great, infinite in all your perfections. You give us all that we need for life and godliness. All that you made testifies to your wisdom. We delight in your grace. Do not forsake us until we proclaim your might to another generation. In Jesus name, Amen.

See God’s divine nature in creation and extol Him

My wife, Lida, and I look forward to attending the Wildflower festival in Crested Butte, Colorado.  Here is what the area looks like in July: Snow-covered mountains and mineral-rich soil, filled with wildflowers that are watered by frequent rains.

We also see creatures like the Yellow-Bellied Marmot and Ruddy Copper butterflies, each in a habitat that God provided for their long-lasting survival.

The rocks, plants, and creatures are beautiful and interconnected. This because they were made by the Word of God. God wants us to see His divine nature and extol Him! The prophet Zachariah exclaimed:

“For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty!” (Zachariah 9:17).

Romans 1:20 has been an insightful verse to me. It says that God’s invisible attributes are clearly perceived in the things that have been made. This truth encouraged me to study more deeply what God reveals in His creation.

Here is what I have learned. The main insight is that our great God is pouring out testimonies of His wisdom. These testimonies are what I call God’s CreationSpeech. Our actions are to pray for wisdom, tell another generation, worship Him, believe the truth, and serve Him in the Spirit. The Metallic Green Sweat Bee pictured is the size of a grain of rice. It makes the tiny flower of the Scarlet Globe-Mallow plant look big. Yet God made the bee look like a jewel. God is great! That is what we will reflect on first, God’s greatness.

God is Great

Wisdom: All is in His Hands.

This Broad-winged hummingbird is also decorated with metallic colors. The bird will tell you that the life of every living thing is in God’s hands. The hummingbird did not invent how to create a nest, decorate it with camouflage, and sit on the eggs. Nor did the bird design its wings to fly and hover at a flower, or its tongue to collect nectar and feed its chicks.

The bushes teach that the LORD has done this. They did not decide how to color their blossoms to attract certain pollinators. Nor did they invent the resulting healthful berries for birds, bears, people and their own multiplication.

We tend to forget the extent that creation is in God’s hands. Even the non-living stones, like this Seven-Point-Star Geode, proclaim the greatness of God.

We are not alone in our lack of perspective. Even Job’s view of God was not high enough. He was described by the LORD as “a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil” (Job 1:8). However, God questioned Job’s role in creation to improve his attitude.

God asked, “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars and spreads his wings toward the south? In September each year, the Swainson’s hawk migrates from Colorado to Argentina. This hawk is a living testimony of God’s hand in creation.

God asked Job, Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane? Do you make him leap like the locust? Notice that God says: “do you.” God actively upholds his creation.

Wisdom: God actively upholds His creation.

Here are a few more examples of God’s actions in creation.

He hurls down ice crystals and melts them with His Word.

He causes plants to grow for man’s food. We were grateful to God for our crop of kale a few years ago as shown on this book cover.

Dear God, We praise you for vegetables that benefit us in remarkable ways with life, according to your goodness. Amen.

The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth!

Related to this truth, God asked Job about the birthing of mountain goats: “do you observe the calving of the does?” (JOB 39:1)

The train of a peacock can remind us that the eyes of the LORD are in every place.

God helped Job know that He causes the horses to go out to meet the weapons and not turn back from the sword.

It is insightful to know God. Here is how Job responded.

Job repented, and acknowledged that God can do all things. Job said he will ask God to make the wisdom in creation known to him. The book of James reinforces this attitude. If you lack wisdom, ask God in faith. He gives generously.

Pray for Wisdom

Creatures were made in wisdom and the Spirit reveals it.

All of God’s works, including creatures, are made in wisdom. As we meditate on God’s creation and the Word, we can ask the Holy Spirit to reveal it. Solomon spoke of trees and animals with wisdom from God. Let us see what he said.

Wisdom: Jesus delights in the people in the Church.

I believe Solomon 6:2-3 is a metaphor about Christ and His church. The beloved Christ goes down to his garden, the Church. As a garden is set apart as a special place, so Christ sets apart His Church. He gazes among the Lilies. That is, He delights in the people in the Church – their faith and what they do in His name. They are His and He is theirs. The application is to be a delight to Christ, together with other believers in the Church. What a privilege! Jesus, Work in us through your Spirit to build your Church!

Wisdom: Love God completely.

Here is an example of seeking wisdom from God in my own experience. I asked God, why did you bring a rose to my attention? What are you teaching me? I went to His Word to find His speech. The Holy Spirit showed me: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, might, and strength. The rose gives a picture of what “all” looks like: humbly unfolding in the light of the truth to spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ and the joyful colors of faith, while making the nectar of service available to nourish others for the glory of the Creator.

Dear God, thank you for the picture provided by the rose to love you completely. Amen.

Wisdom: Good treasure of the heart produces good.

Here is another fascinating flower. I noticed that an unopened Columbine flower has a shape of a human heart with veins and arteries. Then when it opens, out comes beautiful golden anthers. I sought God’s wisdom by searching the word heart in the Bible.

Luke 6:45 says that the good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good. The golden anthers can represent the good treasure. Jesus is the good treasure in our hearts, through faith.

Dear God, strengthen our families and churches with power in the Spirit so Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. Amen.

Wisdom: God is good to all.

Even snakes, a reminder of Adam’s sin in the garden of Eden, tell us that the Lord is good to all. They are blessed with an orderly pattern for camouflage, excellent eye sight, and the ability to taste the air through their tongue to keep rodent populations in check.

Dear God, it is insightful to know that your mercy is over all. Amen

Wisdom: God fixed the order of the moon. He is almighty.

In the last few years, I was blessed to witness a Solar Eclipse and a Lunar Eclipse. I learned that these events testify that God fixed the order of the moon.

And we sing: Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God Almighty, all Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea!

Wisdom: Creation pours out speech that makes us wise to the glory of God

Psalm 19 summarizes what I have been sharing with you. The heavens declare the glory of God. Day to day pours out speech and reveals knowledge that makes us wise.

Let us see how we can share these speeches with another generation and worship Him.

Tell others, Worship Him

Psalm 145 got my attention. We are commanded to meditate on God’s works and commend them to another generation, declaring His greatness. Look at the many attributes of God’s greatness given in the Psalm: might, goodness, righteousness, power, steadfast love, mercy, kindness, dominion, nearness and saving preservation. We worship God by declaring His greatness.

How do we do it? – Plant Gardens

How do we do it? We help our children to see God’s testimonies by planting gardens. This photo shows our son Thomas helping me manage our garden 12 years ago in Missouri.

Dear God, we praise you for the abundant ways that we can display your greatness to our children through the things you made. Amen.

Following our enthusiasm, the children took notice of creation with wide-eyed wonder. Here Peter was excited to show us two caterpillars. He could see the greatness of God as he learned about each plant and creature and their interconnections.

This is Peter now, showing his son, Alfred, the works of God. We are grateful to see the example of multi-generational faithfulness to God’s Word.

My daughter Gloria meditated on a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, and it poured out speech – die to self and by God’s grace, become a new creation, free to love and serve God. Another way butterflies illustrate wisdom is that they appear meek, peaceable, and gentle, while also being courageous and migrate 2,000 miles as directed by God. These are God’s ways. Let us delight in these illustrated qualities with the next generation.

How do we do it? – explore

Exploring creation can help children to know the truth. Here my wife Lida was showing Peter how to split a rock to reveal fossils.

This is what they found – a type of herring and feces preserved by rapid burial. Peter could see that God transformed the earth in the past. It gives hope, as we wait in faith in Jesus, for a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

The most important outcome of these adventures is to see our children believe in Jesus and serve God.

Believe – Tremble at His Word

God’s eyes look to see spiritual results. He looks for a humble servant who trembles at His Word. Before we know Jesus, our heart is like a rock. But by the grace of God, it cracks so Jesus can live in us as an evergreen tree. The fruit in Jesus is to live by the Word and know God forever.

Here is a summary. Our children can have hope, knowing the joy and peace in believing the Word, the truth and Jesus, and testimonies of the truth in creation. We pray to God for wisdom, tell others about the testimonies, worship God, and serve God. The Holy Spirit can use these means to cause the next generation to know and live by the Word of God. In believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior, our children will have joy, peace, and hope. This will be encouraging to them, causing them to look for more testimonies of wisdom, creating more joy and hope – the process of sanctification.  

God shows us what this joy in Christ looks like in His creation. The coastlands are glad with singing seagulls, roaring waves and colorful lichen-covered rocks.

The testimonies and the Word exist so we may have Christ’s joy in us. It is not a vain thing to meditate on God’s creation and His Word. It is our life in Jesus that gives glory to God and hope to us.

Jesus gave His life for the sheep and keeps them. He is our example. Let us continue to show our children and grandchildren the works of God, so they can graze on God’s love and greatness.

My prayer is that God will not forsake us until we proclaim His might to another generation, His power to all those to come.