Impossibility specialist, He will cause nature to work in your favour

King Ahab and his godless wife Jezebel turned the Israelites into idol worship. Scripture confirms that, “Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him” (1 Kings 16:30). God has warned His people not to serve any other God apart from him. The acts of Ahab and Jezebel were known by all. “Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1). Literally, the prophet declared a famine in the land. The prophet was also affected by the same famine. The famine was not just in the house of the wicked king and his wife but even the righteous people in the land experienced it. Imagine suffering from a famine that came about because of your zeal for the Lord. 

The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. (1 Kings 17:6)

Elijah’s life was in danger because of his prophecy. 1 Kings 17: 2-4 states that the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.” Elijah did as God commanded and he enjoyed the food sent by the ravens until the brook dried and the Lord directed him to a widow. The story of Elijah and the ravens teaches us about God’s provision. Sometimes, in our zeal for the Lord, we tend to go through challenges and persecution. Daniel faced a similar situation. He defied the king’s order and prayed to God and that caused him to be taken to the lions’ den. Even in the den, God sustained him and the lions who in previous times had manhandled others, had their mouths shut. The three Hebrew men (Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego) refused to bow down to an idol; their action took them to the fiery furnace. But, God defied nature by turning the fiery furnace into an air-conditioned room. They were neither harmed, nor did their clothes smell of smoke.

God is able to make the elements of nature: animals, sun, moon, stars, rain etc. to be in our favour. The sun stood still for Joshua and Israel until they won the battle with the Amorites. 
“On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!” (Joshua 10:12‭-‬14).

Whenever we are in doubt of God’s grace and provision, we remember that ravens fed Elijah, lions had their mouths shut, fiery furnance became airconditioned room and the sun stood still. Life can be full of challenges but we need to know that we are children of the impossibility Specialist. Even when there seems to be no way, He can cause creation to work in our favour. Surely,  God is good, and He will definitely provide

The sun and the rain show that the Father is gracious!

Recently, I was pondering about this, “why does God allow evil people to enjoy the same nature as us?” The rich dictators have all the money to visit the best natural habitats in the world. Their houses are built on strategic geographical locations with all the best scenery. They love to live at places where they would have the best view of nature. Some love to build on the mountain overlooking the beautiful vegetation and the rich waters. They live around lush vegetation and their environments are always well-watered. They have the best summer experiences because they have a good view of the sun and their warm pools or the water bodies around their houses give them a good swimming experience. Meanwhile, they keep oppressing the poor, the widow, the orphans and some even kill others just to remain at the top. Some are heartless, ruthless and selfish. All they desire is their self-gratification. So why does God still allow them to live to enjoy the sun, the rain and all the beauty of nature?

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5: 44-45)

God’s grace is indeed revealed through nature. God doesn’t love the sinner less. The truth is, God’s love for the sinner caused the death of His only begotten Son, and whoever turns from their sin and comes to God is saved (John 3:16). Similarly, nature is not meant for the righteous alone. Matthew 5:45 states that: “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” The Father does not hide nature from evil men but through creation, He makes known Himself to sinners (Romans 1:20). If you go to the house of the wicked, the sun is not darkened there. The rain is not hindered from falling on evil men. So whenever we see the sun shining or the rain falling, we should remember that God’s grace is being shared with all people.

The understanding that both good and evil people are recipients of God’s grace revealed through nature, should make us compassionate for the soul of the sinner. We should not rain curses on our enemies but shower them with God’s love. Jesus said that we should love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, so that we may be children of your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:44). Sin is what separates human beings from God. So we should pray for the wicked to turn away from their sin. The truth is, if we fail to pray for the sinner to turn from their wickedness, their actions could directly or indirectly affect us. If God does not stop the rain from falling on the compound of the wicked, then we shouldn’t stop praying for the wicked to turn from their sins. The sun shines brightly on the good and the bad, so must we show the love of God on all people. Maybe, our prayers, love and care will cause them to change. The Father is gracious and so must we!

The Creator reveals Himself through nature

Aurora borealis is a beautiful phenomenon in the sky that causes beautiful lights in the sky. It happens in specific geopolitical zones. According to Wikipedia, “Auroras are the result of disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by the solar wind. Major disturbances result from enhancements in the speed of the solar wind from coronal holes and coronal mass ejections. These disturbances alter the trajectories of charged particles in the magnetospheric plasma.” Trust me, I didn’t understand all these definitions until I watched an Aurora borealis happening (on TV). I never gathered the courage to climb the mountains in Norway to watch as I lived further south. Thankfully, I still have the opportunity to watch it happen while living in Canada. If looking at Auroras on earth is fascinating, imagine watching it from space? What do Auroras and all the beauty of nature tell us? 

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. (Romans 1:20) 

Whenever I consider Auroras and all the other natural phenomena that cannot be controlled by humanity, I am awed. These things could not be accidental occurrences. The arrangement of things in the atmosphere, the stratosphere, magnetosphere etc. and their coordination is amazing. The outer space is perfectly arranged so that the Earth does not miss its route during rotation or revolution. Jupiter’s rings have never been a problem for the Earth. The Sun, the biggest star in our galaxy, has never changed location. Such orderliness! What does this reveal about the Creator? Paul writing to the Church noted that; “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). The beautiful world we live in portrays God’s invisible qualities, His power and His divine nature. He is a Master designer and His skills are incomprehensible. 

The Creator reveals Himself through nature and no one has an excuse as long as they live. Our daily lives reflect His power, wisdom and creativity. The Earth rotates to give us day and night. The same Earth revolves around the sun to give us seasons. Rotation and revolution are done simultaneously but the earth is never confused. Whoever designed this must be a master of all. Of course Genesis 1: 1 lays the background: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” God’s invisible qualities are seen each day when we look at creation. Unfortunately, some people worship creation and ignore the Creator. Others have no regard for creation and constantly do things that put people and things in danger. A few others ignore any possibility of a Creator and celebrate scientific discoveries better than the God who made the scientist. Yet still, others choose to worship God the Creator. Which category are you?

The Creator is worthy to receive glory, honour and power!

Alexander Graham Bell is well noted for inventing the telephone. His invention was patented on March 7, 1876. Bell was still very young and must have been proud that he had made a device that allowed humans to communicate over wires. The revolutionary technology of the telephone has gone through different stages and has transformed from a box device to a handheld tool that does not require wires to operate. In fact, in 2014, while on a Norwegian airlines flight,  I connected to the wifi and was chatting with friends down below. Is that not amazing! Now, we can be on earth and get messages sent to us from Mars, from the moon, under the water etc. The technology of the telephone has really advanced. Mr. Bell is accredited for the concept and creation of the telephone but we cannot credit him with the latest technological advances in telephony. I am sure, if Mr. Bell could be given a second chance on earth, he would be amazed that we make calls via watches, microchips (inserted into stuff) and via Bluetooth. He would have been wowed by the advances of what he started as a box device.

However, God’s creation has not changed over the 1000s of years the world has been around. Creation has not undergone production changes. Humans have not moved from walking creatures to flying birds; the tree still stand root down and branches up; the water bodies are still on earth and not in the sky; babies still need a male and a female to make (even if it is scientifically manipulated); dogs don’t behave like chicken and birds still lay eggs (they don’t push their babies out from wombs). The structures and systems in the world have gone through a considerable change. Our buildings have changed; our education systems have changed; scientific research has given humanity access to previously inaccessible places but the earth remains in its place. It has not fallen into space and neither has it moved further away from the sun and the moon. I appreciate all inventions and I honour all inventors but their works will always be modified! However, God’s creation has never changed!

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (Revelation 4:11)

Of course, humans are always looking for ways and means to change their look, appearances and all that. For example, as someone with typical African hair, it is possible to see me in the morning with my real hair, in the afternoon with extension and in the evening with a wig! I keep changing my looks but God who created all things has not changed and neither has he changed the appearances of His creation. When we consider all these and many more, our response should be praise, adoration and worship. Indeed, our God is the greatest Creator and his works bear witness. Let us join the twenty-four elders is Heaven to lay down our crowns (pride, our own honour)and sing this song: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (Revelation 4:11)

Praise Him from the heavens and the heights

My first flight experience was very fascinating. I was so amazed looking down from the skies and seeing the earth so small and everything looking so tiny. The sky was so bright and the moon lighted the sky in all its radiance. The stars seemed far away as compared with the moon but I couldn’t miss their light as well. The heavens were indeed declaring the glory of the Lord. As I sat in my seat, I was filled with so much praise. As morning came, the clouds began their humble parade. One, two, three and a gazillion of clouds hanging up there with nothing holding them but they were so perfect. As we ascended higher, the very white clouds below looked like a uniformed army ready to take charge. And as we descended, the mountains showed up in their radiance. In the sky, the heights looked so small but getting closer, I could get a better glance at the magnificent peaks and the beautiful vegetation that are around the height. Indeed, God is the Master designer!

Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. (Psalms 148:1)

I couldn’t help but to join the Psalmist to praise the Lord. Psalm 148 is a perfect praise for how I felt:
“Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created, and he established them for ever and ever— he issued a decree that will never pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and women, old men and children. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his splendor is above the earth and the heavens. And he has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his faithful servants, of Israel, the people close to his heart. Praise the Lord.”

Whenever we are in doubt of the presence of a Creator, let’s consider the orderliness of creation. No automatic process could have been so smart to put everything where they need to be. The heavens and all that stay in the heavens are in the appropriate place. The fish is in the water, the animals are on land and some amphibians live in the water on the land. Imagine if humans were to live in water, we wouldn’t survive because our bodies are not fit for water living. We need special diving suits and oxygen tanks to go underwater for a while. No fish requires an oxygen supply down there! When astronauts travel to outer space, they have to wear a spacesuit and be in a spaceship because humans were not made for space. However the stars, the moon, the sun, the meteors comfortably hang up there because that is where they belong. God placed us exactly where we belong and that alone should cause us to give Him praise. Never wish you were anything else other than human, for if you were made a mosquito, you would probably have died on your first attempt to bite a human. Praise God for making you….you!