Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - July/82

Contributor - Mr. Tim Staal

Title - Meditation

Topic - Meditation

"O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Thy name in all the earth, Who hast displayed Thy splendours above the Heavens!" Psalm 8:1

The Bible is full of descriptions of the beauty of God's world, and the workings of Nature. The Psalms inspire us with their descriptions of how God works through His creation. Many of Christ's parables deal with common everyday occurrences in the natural world. Jesus spoke to a world attuned to its natural surroundings, a world where people experience the workings of His creation firsthand. But we now live in a world where we are often cut off from the intimate details of nature. Separated from nature by noise, concrete, automobile windows and the hectic pace of our lives, we too often fail to see and appreciate God's creation at work around us. We need to take the time to pause and with the psalm writer consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained;' (Psalm 8:3). And what better place to do this reflecting than at Camp Shalom, blessed with abundance and variety of natural life.

At Camp Shalom, with its abundance and variety, we can more fully appreciate God's handiwork. We can stand near the swamp, and though it dismays us with its untidy appearance, and the insects that thrive in it, we can recognize it for what it really is: an important oxygen factory, creating breathable air for us to live; a water storage reservoir that helps to control flooding and regulates the water table; a food factory that provides nutrients for insects, birds, frogs, snakes and numerous other small animals. What a wonderfully complex web of life God has created for us to rejoice in! We can stand in the pine woods, with its rich smell and listen to the song of the birds as they flit through the trees above our heads, or hear the rustle of the leaves as we walk through mixed hardwoods constantly dying and being born anew through the miraculous cycle of life and death that is the forest.

We can follow the tracks of mice, rabbits, squirrels or deer and think of how their lives, like ours, are tied together in the infinite web of God's creating.

We can, with the psalm writer, turn our eyes to the heavens and exclaim in wonder at the beauty of those tiny dots of light so far away. We can listen to the sounds of the evening, as the insects and frogs echo the swamp life, and in the distance an owl's question floats toward us over the crackle of the campfire, reminding us that there is but one answer - GOD.

We can stand at the edge of a cornfield, with its promise of food, and remember our role in this creation: To be stewards of all that surrounds us .... To be aware of the wondrous ways of nature and intricate web God has woven .... To share with our children an appreciation of God's world, and above all, through Jesus Christ .... To take part in the miracle of death and new life, the miracle of seed and crop, of swamp and forest, of Christ and His body.

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