This morning we continued looking at ‘the miraculous and the mundane’, focussing on the wonderful world God has made for us. So often, we take this for granted, but God is the Maker of heaven and earth (Ps 115:5, Ps 121:2, Ps 124:8, Ps 134:3, Ps 146:6), the One who spoke creation into being (Gen 1-2; Ps 33:6, 9). The heavens declare the glory of God (see Ps 19, Ps 24) and creation is a visible reminder to us of the wonder-working God we serve. It’s all too easy to take this for granted, but we need to become like little children and see the world with awe and wonder. (Matt 18:3)
Creation is one of God’s most amazing miracles, but we need to take the time to ‘stand and stare‘ (as William Henry Davies put it in his poem ‘Leisure‘) if we are to fully appreciate it. So often, we are in a hurry and are too impatient to appreciate that God not only made the world but sustains it (Heb 1:3). We struggle to cope with repetition and monotony, but actually the beauty of daisy petals or the intricate designs of leaves reflect God’s ability, as G. K. Chesterton put it, to ‘exult in monotony.’
God is with us in every situation in life, in the excitement and in what we find dull routines. It’s worth remembering that the Israelites saw miracles every day when God provided manna for them in the wilderness, but still craved other food. (Numbers 11:4-6) Sometimes, we need to see beyond the spectacular to the faithfulness and kindness of God in the ordinary. As Louis Armstrong sang, this can be seen in trees of green and red roses: ‘what a wonderful world.’