God's Picture Frame

On the desk in my office there's a framed photo of my wife. Pictures of my granddaughters smile at me from a coffee table nearby. On the wall behind my desk hang some serious-looking black frames: my ordination certificate and college diplomas. On another wall hangs an inspirational drawing of the carpenter Jesus carving a block of wood. On the bookshelf facing my desk is a photo of my wife taken on our wedding day (that one's been in my office for 31 years!) and a Scripture plaque quoting Jesus' words, "I am the vine, you are the branches."

If you visited my office I wouldn't call attention to any of my picture frames. I might say, "These are my grandchildren" or "That picture of Candy was taken on our wedding day," but the important thing would always be what the frames surround, not the frames themselves. Even hardwood frames inlaid with gold don't call attention to themselves but to what's inside them. In an art gallery, viewers admire the paint-strokes of Rembrandt and Monet, but seldom comment about the frames surrounding these works of art.

The Bible says, "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God" (Hebrews 11:3, New King James Version). Without the word, there'd be no world. We don't worship nature. Nature isn't God. Nature is the frame in which God displays his creative handiwork. It's the canvas where he paints, the workbench where he puts things together.

If you have eyes to see, you can catch a glimpse of divine design in the spiral swirls of a sunflower, the symmetrical crystals of a snowflake, the shimmering colors of a rainbow, the peel-apart sections of an orange, the grain and texture of polished wood.

Put on a snorkeling mask and view the underwater spectacle of multi-colored fish and plants. Peer through a telescope at Jupiter and Saturn. Look through a microscope and behold a world of complex design invisible to the naked eye.

Hold an infant in your arms and marvel at the ability of fingers to grasp and lungs to breathe. Watch the child grow, and marvel even more at the human personality housed within her body. What could this be if not the handiwork of God? "The basic reality of God is plain enough. . . . By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being" (Romans 1:19, 20, The Message).

You'd consider me odd if I had empty picture frames hanging on my office walls, but it's just as strange for someone to appreciate nature while overlooking the Artist who designed it. There's something empty and sad about a well-toned physical body that's used only to glorify self instead of giving glory to God. Or a well-crafted musical tune with degrading lyrics that dishonor the God of truth. Or a beautifully-designed cathedral where no one gathers to worship any more.

Nature's loveliness points us toward the God of love. Human creativity points us toward the creative Lord who's preparing for us a place of beauty and blessing beyond imagination.