I wonder if you have had time lately to stop and truly look at the beauty all around us in nature, on both a small and large scale. Even as I write this, I can see from my study window a vast expanse of clear, blue sky, feel the warmth of the spring sunshine and enjoy the amazing pink blossoms on the nearby azaleas.
Yet it was the tiny, almost hidden intricacies in God’s creation that recently blew me away most—including the endless variety of sizes and shapes of leaves on the nearby shrubs and the amazing speckles and colours of the petals on the humble, little alstroemeria flowers our neighbour planted near our front door. How easily all this inspired me then to write the following poem for our church’s upcoming Art Installation (6-20 Oct, Parramatta Baptist), the theme of which is ‘Creation Speaks HIS Name’! Surely, as the psalmist says:
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. Psalm 19:1-4
Silent Speech
Did you have fun, Lord, creating such beauty
for us your children to enjoy?
It’s as if in pure delight you waved your palette high
and splashed your vibrant colours everywhere with glee,
as if you had to share each fresh design of flower
and then, in pure extravagance,
add speckles to already perfect petals.
In tender tones, you sought again
to speak your name, to show us who you are,
to swell with one more voice creation’s choir
that endlessly declares your perfect love,
that shouts your glorious grace across the earth,
that paints your name with joy on canvas vast.
Lord, in small and large, we hear your silent speech
and, in reply, we speak aloud your praise!
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