God is in all of Creation, and all Creation Praises God
“All Creation is Waiting”
by Karen Rhoden
Recently I have read three authors express the fact that God is in everything. The Bible confirms this. Ephesians 4:6 says “God is through all and in all.” We read in the first chapter of John that in the beginning was the Word and the Word was God and nothing came into being without the Word. The writer of Hebrews 1:3 expresses that God is upholding all things by the Word of His power. It is not being presented here that creation has an intelligence but that all the elements of creation actually have a will. I believe the will of the whole of creation is to manifest the glorious presence of the Lord, to reveal certain aspects of God especially in their original created state.
There are many places in the scriptures that describe the natural world displaying action or reaction by intention of its will. Even Jesus says of the rocks that if the people had kept silent the stones themselves would have cried out. (Luke 19:40) In Habakkuk 2:11 it is clear again, not only the stones but also the rafters of wood would answer. “The stone shall be a witness…for it heard all the words of the Lord” is spoken of in Joshua 24:27.
I especially want you to see Psalm 19:1-4. “The heavens are declaring the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there any words; their voice is not heard. Their sound has gone out through all the earth, and their utterances to the end of the world.” I have not drawn the conclusion many have that the pretty picture in the sky reminds me of God but more precisely that there is an actual specific communication being made.
The witness of the sky is faithful (Psalm 89), the dawn and sunset shout for joy, the hills gird themselves with rejoicing, the meadows and valleys shout for joy and sing (Psalm 65) – these are only a few examples.
Jeremiah 12:4 asks “how long is the land to mourn?” and in verse 11 we read, “it (the land) is a desolation, desolate, it mourns before Me.” Psalm 50 brings to light that the Lord summons the heavens above and the earth to judge His people.
I just read an account of a man that had died and spent a brief time in heaven before being revived. Of the many experiences he had one was of the rocks, flowers, water and grasses all singing together in harmony praising God. May it be done on earth as it is in heaven!
“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20) There is something about the land and sky, rocks and waters, flowers and birds that reveal our creator God. In the garden there was order and harmony. Man was given a directive to tend the garden and subdue the earth. Instead of initiating life abundantly, Adam aborted the God-given plan in disobedience. Treason from the heart of man allowed the nature of death to have a place in creation, the very creation that had been entrusted to Adam’s care.
Now let’s look at Romans 8, starting with verse 19: “For the anxious longing of creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole of creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.” All creation is waiting. What is it waiting for? It’s waiting for the end of corruption and death and the liberty of the sons of God to be revealed. It’s also waiting for the people of God to turn away from sin and back to God, because God has promised then to heal the land. “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
A close friend of mine asked me, “What is the bottom line in knowing that God is in everything?” I asked her if she remembered attending a service where a man had spoken on redeeming land? He said that redeemed land bears the manifest presence of the Lord. Where the presence of the Lord is, people get saved and healed and worship is ever so sweet. The land and all of creation waits to be restored to its original order and purposes, declaring and revealing the God of the universe.
Joel 1 and 2 speaks of our role in this scenario. “The field is ruined, the land mourns, for the grain is ruined, the new wine dries up, fresh oil fails.” Chapter 1 and part of chapter 2 speak of the desolation of the earth. Verse fourteen of the first chapter calls for a fast and solemn assembly to cry out to the Lord. The twelfth and thirteenth verses of the second chapter call for a return with the whole heart. See verse eighteen, “Then the Lord will be zealous for His land.” Here begins the restoration process and then comes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. (Joel 2:18-32)
The Lord encouraged me one evening in this revelation of His presence in His creation. I was reading, sitting in my living room when waves of fragrance kept sweeping over me. I thought it must be the Lord as I have had the experience before of the Lord manifesting His presence in the very strong aroma of lilies. The fragrance kept coming so I decided to investigate. I found that my hoya was giving off an incredibly strong smell. This in itself was amazing in that this plant, after five years of blooming, had never given off even the slightest aroma. Now it was filling the air with heavy perfume, filling my senses and my spirit. Holy Spirit then spoke to me and said, “This is the manifested glory of the Lord within His creation, singing and declaring His sweet loving kindness”.
So it is with a joyous heart and a burdened soul that I too seek the restoration of creation. I do not expect it to be fully redeemed before the Lord comes back, but I will do my part of the assignment in prayer, repentance and praise for the vineyards He has given me and the land where my feet tread. A fragrant glimpse of the God of the universe is still with me and gives me hope of restoration. May the whole earth be filled with His glory! From the very inside out may the purpose of creation shine forth just as in the beginning when the Lord spoke, “Let there be light”.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Here’s an interesting version of Psalm 19:1-2 (from The Message):
God’s glory is on tour in the skies, God-craft on exhibit across the horizon. Madame Day holds classes every morning, Professor Night lectures each evening.
