Derrick Garland Coy

If you watch television, you’ve probably seen the Cialis ads in which a couple is doing a mundane household chore together when the mood suddenly becomes intimate and romantic, and the indoor setting is morphed into several beautiful outdoor scenes of nature.  I recently had a Cialis moment—of sorts.

I was washing dishes in my kitchen sink when my attention was suddenly drawn to the orchid plant sitting on the bay window above the sink. Even though I had daily seen that plant over several weeks since it first bloomed, I was mesmerized that day by the complexity of the design, structure, color, and beauty of the six flowers on their tall, slender stem.

As I observed the details of this gorgeous orchid plant, I thought, “This is no accident of nature. There is a divine designer behind creation!”

And with that reaffirmation of faith in God as creator, I was suddenly filled with a sense of awe and reverence for God, so much so that I was emotionally moved to tears as my mind’s focus morphed from the orchid to a sweeping mosaic view of God’s wider creation.

After finishing the dishes, I slipped out into our English-style garden designed by my wife, Diana, and wandered among the many variety of floral species, each as uniquely beautiful as the orchid, and I began to worship God in prayerful praise.

Sitting in the garden with my Bible, I was inspired by these passages about the majesty of God the creator:

• Psalm 8 reminded me that the glory of God fills all creation and that God cares for his most valuable creation—people:

O Lord, our Lord, the majesty of your name fills the earth!
Your glory is higher than the heavens…
When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you have set in place—
what are mortals that you should think of us,
mere humans that you should care for us?
(8:1, 3, 4; New Living Translation, NLT)

• Psalm 19 declared that both God’s creation and his law speak to us and reveal his greatness:

The heavens tell of the glory of God.
The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or a word;
their voice is silent in the skies;
Yet their message has gone out to all the earth,
And their words to all the world.  (19:1-4, NLT; also verses 7-11)

• From Psalm 104 I learned that we should rejoice in God, for he not only creates, but he sustains his creation:

O Lord, what a variety of things you have made!
In wisdom you have made them all.
The earth is full of your creatures….
Every one of these depends on you
to give them their food as they need it.
When you supply it, they gather it.
You open your hand to feed them, and they are satisfied.
(104:24,27,28, NLT)

And I was also reminded that in the midst of this wonderful manifestation of God’s creation, we should not take life for granted:

• Job 14:1-2—“How frail is humanity! How short is life! Like a flower, we blossom for a moment and then wither. Like the shadow of a passing cloud, we quickly disappear.” (NLT)

• Isaiah 40:6b-8—“…people are like grass that dies away. Their beauty fades quickly as the beauty of flowers in a field. The grass withers, and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.” (NLT)

• Psalm 103:15, 16—“Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone—as though we had never been here.” (NLT)

Far from deflating my spirit of worshipful praise, these last three passages filled me with deep appreciation for the gift of life that each day brings, and they intensified within me a desire to live more fully, more creatively, and more passionately.

For unlike flowers with their beautiful but brief life span, God created us not only for a temporary life on earth but a more joyful and magnificent eternal life with him in heaven, “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down—when we die and leave these bodies—we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.” (2 Cor. 5:1, NLT)

And so with those reminders and fresh insight into the nature and creative deeds of our heavenly Father, I recommitted myself to worshipful service to him, echoing the psalmist’s benediction:

May the glory of the Lord last forever!
The Lord rejoices in all that he has made!
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
I will praise my God to my last breath!
May he be pleased by all these thoughts about him,
for I rejoice in the Lord….
I will praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!   (104:31, 33, 34, 35b, NLT)

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Meditative places in our garden. Click images to enlarge.