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The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands (Psalm 19:1, NASB1995).
Nature is God’s cathedral. It’s the original house of worship.
We should visit often. Our theology should include taking walks! You will see God’s majesty and praise His name. The purpose of all Bible teaching is to glorify God.
I have my devotions inside a house.
I admit to enjoying a hot cup of coffee, opening my Bible, turning on praise music, and after reading my Bible – praying. My quiet space is important. But I note, and you should too, that a high percentage of the Psalms were written by authors who took daily walks.
Psalm 23 wasn’t written by someone living in a high-rise condo.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul (vv. 1-3, ESV).
Solomon built God’s temple, but King David grew up as a youth in God’s cathedral tending sheep. Solomon saw gold, David reflected on sunsets.
You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy! (Psalm 65:8, NASB1995)
I realize that most of us stay indoors for our morning devotions. But do we get so enmeshed in busyness, driving on blacktop, and eating at Wendy’s, that we don’t see the heavens speaking of the glory of God?
(OG sidenote: As I’m writing, a squirrel appeared on a branch outside my open office window and is chirping at me. Solid evidence that all of nature agrees with this Interruption.)
The last few years, I’ve begun to walk more often. I take three two-mile walks and one four-mile walk each week. I’ve developed what I call the “Five-Finger Method of Prayer” which I use to begin each walk.
The “Five-Finger Method” helps me to focus on praise, thanksgiving, the needs of others, eliminating my anxieties, and understanding God’s calling in my life. (The Five-Finger Method is taught in Lesson Five of First Steps Conversations.)
One of my walking routes takes me through a cemetery. I pass the graves of people that I have known. I remember them and consider the few years that I have left to serve God. I remember my temporary existence, that my “supposed” difficulties are just vapors.
I will see Jesus someday; I find peace knowing this.
On another walking route, I see a large body of water. Some enjoy mountains, I love the ocean; where I live, a reservoir suffices. On vacation, I anticipate walking the beach or just sitting to watch the waves.
King David, while living in the mountains, also wrote of the sea…
The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land (Psalm 95:5, ESV).
There are 326 quintillion gallons of water on our planet.
Most of it is in the oceans where it acts as a coolant in the tropics and warms temperatures in northern climates. I don’t think David thought of this when he walked along the Mediterranean, but for some reason, I do while walking the beaches outside Charleston, South Carolina.
In a great sunset, we see God’s glory.
Once in the Philippines, those on my mission team were able to walk a beach at sunset. We stopped talking when the colors appeared. One of the pastors said, “God gives us this beauty so that we can know Him.”
All of us said, “Amen.”He has caused His wondrous works to be remembered, and to know that the Lord is gracious and merciful (Psalm 111:4, OGV).
