He Speaks to Me Everywhere (6)

The works of the LORD are great,
Studied by all who have pleasure in them.
His work is honorable and glorious,
And His righteousness endures forever.
He has made His wonderful works to be remembered…Psalm 111.2-4

Keep a record
The first time I took note of common wood sorrel, I was cutting the yard. Of course, I’d seen it often enough before, but I never noticed it before this day. I was edging around the mail box, when I observed this small, bright yellow flower, standing out against the green background. It seemed to call out to me, “Hey!” I bent down, spread the blades of grass apart, and studied those green leaves, clustered in a threesome around that yellow blossom. I was captivated by its simple beauty, precise symmetry, and what struck me as its indomitable cheeriness.

I thought about that little flower and its accompanying leaflets as I finished the yard. My mind ran to the lilies of the field, grass that withers, the green tree and the dry, the Lord’s witness to the people of Lystra, and more Scripture associations. I was beginning to derive some insight to glory from that humble plant. I kept thinking about it as I cleaned up, then did some quick research online. I took out my journal and wrote, making a preliminary stab at integration:

Oxalis montana, May 23, 2013, common wood sorrel – in the mown grass beneath our mailbox in Hamilton (VA).Note the heart-shaped leaves in clusters of three: a symbol of the perfect and persisting love of our triune God.

Then I headed back outside, my phone in hand, and took several close-up pictures. These I imported to my journal as a permanent record of my encounter. Like all the other entries in my creational theology journal, I visit this one from time to time, to be renewed in the glory of that first encounter.

Make a memory
If you’ve gotten this far in the practice of creational theology, then you’ll have experienced some new and very exciting insights into the glory of the Lord. Careful observation, prayerful association of your observations with Scripture, then integrating your observations and associations into a statement of conclusion, expanded by meditation into your daily experience – these activities can lead to deeper joy and greater awareness of the Lord. And whenever I get to that place in my walk with the Lord, it’s time to celebrate.

Celebration is the next activity toward completing the circuit in the practice of creational theology.

How do we celebrate what God is teaching us through His “two books” of revelation – creation and Scripture? Personally, corporately, and with a memorial. What do I mean?

First, personally: Obviously, the place to begin in celebration is by making a record of your encounter with the Lord and His glory. Write out your experience in your journal, and you’ll find it becomes more concrete and memorable. Use this as an opportunity to worship the Lord. Find a hymn that expresses your experience, and sing it until you know some of it by heart: “In the rustling grass, I see Him pass; He speaks to me everywhere.” Each time you sing that hymn, or review your journal entry, you’ll remember that experience of encountering God.

Let that experience of God’s glory carry over into your daily worship. Pray daily with thanksgiving and praise, celebrating God’s love for you, Who cares enough to make Himself known with such intimacy and power.

Then, corporately: Bring your experience to church on the Lord’s Day, and let your encounter with the Lord prepare you for public worship. Offer it as a testimony in your Sunday school class or Bible study group. Let others “in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation” share in the joy and glory you’ve experienced (Ps. 111.1).

A memorial
I’m encouraging you to make a memorial to commemorate this experience, so that you have a place to return to and relive it, like Jacob setting up the altar at Bethel, to which he frequently returned, as had his grandfather before him. If you were invited to dinner with a famous person, you’d seek an autograph, a photo op, or a souvenir napkin. Why not do the same for those times God brings you into His glory?

A memorial is something more specific than just a journal entry. Like the memorial stones that Israel piled on the west bank of the Jordan, it draws from a variety of forms or genre to create a memory more vivid and enduring than something merely written. Write a prayer to carry with you, which you might offer to the Lord throughout the day. Compose a poem, and memorize it. Use it as an oasis for brief refreshing periods of prayer during your day. Take a picture of what you observed. Set it on your desk, hang it on a wall, or place it in an album. Paint a picture, write a story, or make a sculpture of your experience.

We are made in the image of God; thus, we are made to be creators, as He is our Creator. Creational theology can provide plenty of inspiration and substance for celebrating the Lord, both in worship and in the creation of memorials of various kinds to honor Him. The wonder you invest in this effort, and the worship it elicits, can prepare you to bear witness to the glory of God in the things He’s speaking to you everywhere.

For reflection
1.  Israel often made memorials of times they experienced God’s glory and power. Why did they do this?

2.  It takes time, thought, and effort to make a memorial. Why does this make memorials a particularly good way of celebrating your experience of God’s glory?

3.  We use family photo albums to relive good times and explain family to friends. Could you do the same with a creational theology album? Explain.

Next steps – Preparation: What kinds of memorials most appeal to you? Do you need to make a memorial of something you’ve observed and meditated on this week?

For a fuller study of the disciplines of creational theology, order the book, Consider the Lilies: A Plea for Creational Theology, from our online store (click here). The glory of God is always at hand, if we know how to discern, enter, and express it. Our booklet, Christians on the Front Lines of the Culture Wars, can help you learn to recognize the glory of God, and to glorify Him in even the most everyday details of your life. Order your copy by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.