God of Creation
It was a cool, rainy day yesterday in Albania and during a pause in the rain, Luke and I savored the cool breeze on our walk to meet up with our church family for worship.
Grabbing his hand and pulling him close, I excitedly said, “can you believe how amazing it feels out here? It is SO refreshing!”
We have been craving cooler weather after a season of feeling scorched + depleted from spending a year in over 100 degree weather.
And though I love summer and sunshine, something about cool, crisp weather, always refreshes me.
After worship we had lunch with a few friends and sat on a porch at a restaurant, and I found myself once again feeling so refreshed by the cool breeze. Also refreshed by their company and conversation.
And I paused to wonder, how often do we miss the goodness of God shown to us in His creation, because our eyes are so weary or tired, or stuck in tunnel vision, as we attempt to live life through the lens of survival mode?
How often do we become so busy or disconnected from His creation, that we miss out on the blessings and invitations of each season (both physically and spiritually), because we are distracted by our shame, pain, or wishing for a different season or circumstances?
I opened my Bible later that evening and I was stopped in my tracks as I was re-reading in Genesis after Adam and Eve had sinned and were hiding from God.
After they had sinned and their eyes were opened, they covered themselves with fig leaves and hid. Scripture says, “And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.”
The phrase “cool of the day” stopped me in my tracks, and I was taken back to the moment where I was savoring that cool breeze earlier today.
And I paused to contemplate on this and then found these words by Charles Spurgeon that I wanted to share because I believe it shines light on the fact of another attribute of God: His graciousness:
“Not in the dead of night when the natural glooms of darkness might have increased the terrors of the criminal, not in the heat of the day, lest he should imagine that God come in the heat of passion; not in the early morning, as if in haste to slay, but at the close of the day, for God is long-suffering, slow to anger, and of great mercy” (Spurgeon).
We don’t know if Spurgeon’s words are true, or why God came in the cool of the day or if “the cool of the day” is even an appropriate translation. Some scholars believe a better translation is “wind" to paint the picture of a storm and of judgement that terrified Adam and Eve, others believe it is to describe the "spirit of the day." It is easy to speculate, and create opinions that are not always factual, but I just found Spurgeon’s words + perspective refreshing here.
In their attempt to be like God, they were separated from Him.
They missed what they had in front of them because they desired more. And when they failed, instead of running to Him, they tried to hide themselves and sewed together fig leaves, but God in His loving kindness, pursued them. In His tenderness, before banishing them from the garden (because though He is tender, He is also just + righteous), He made them new skins and garments (Genesis 3:21).
And in His faithfulness, He designed a plan for His creation to be redeemed back to Him.
An opportunity to be cleansed and put in new garments, and be with Him once again, through the sacrifice of His Son (Rev 22:14).
I am so thankful for a God of that is just, yet graceful and tender. I am thankful for His faithfulness, and for the gift He has given us through His creation to get to know Him + pause to contemplate on what His creation may be showing us about His attributes.
What attributes of God can you take time to notice in His creation today?
This is an invitation to pause and “savor the breeze.”
Your nervous system and soul will be nourished by it.
Written by Megan Taylor
Connect with Megan over on Instagram.