Writing about Session 6a: Calling & Regeneration, Gina Beecher shares her thoughts on one of the discussion questions.
Discussion question #1: Read Ps. 19:1-6 and Rom 1:18-20. Give examples of how creation is the “voice of God” that goes out to all people.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. This is the first sentence in the Bible, God’s revelation to mankind. In the Bible, God reveals his plan for salvation through his Son who is the image of the invisible God. But He also reveals Himself in His creation, through beauty, complexity, and the human conscience.
The beauty of creation is one example of the voice of God. Although we do not consider the words of nature audible, Psalm 19 says that day after day they pour out speech to all the world, so much so, that the glory of God is declared. Whether it be a beautiful sunset on a dusty Iowa road, a quiet first snowfall of the season, a view from the top of the Smoky Mountains, or the thunderous noise of Niagara Falls, when one views these things you either see the hand of God or suppress it.
The complexity of creation is another example of the voice of God. It doesn’t take a degree in biology or astronomy to know that this world is amazingly complicated. I have been working as a physical therapist with individuals affected by brain injury for the last several years. The human brain is by far the most complex organ in our body, and daily I can see the act of God in the recovery from injury to this organ.
The human body has an amazing ability to make new pathways and compensate for areas lost after a brain injury. Every brain is different and so no person presents with symptoms the same as another, even after an injury that occurs in the same location of the brain. Recovery is unknown and difficult for health professionals to predict. Patients and family members hear “We don’t know” a lot!
Lastly our place in creation is an example of the voice of God. I remember the first time I realized that there had to be something greater than me. I noticed my conscience for the first time, and was amazed that I had internal thoughts. It was then that I realized that people are unique, more than animals, created in the image of God.
We serve an all powerful, all knowing, amazing God who has made Himself clearly known to all people through His creation. Our response should lead to praise and worship and a desire to bring glory to Him as His created beings.
Psalm 96:3-6 Declare his glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise: He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and glory are in His sanctuary.