May 5, 2026
The devotions over the next few days are based on a rough outline of thoughts for a Sermon series that I have never completed or attempted to preach. It's based on thoughts I have had or questions I have been asked. My prayer is that these reflections will speak to you, and bring some challenge and clarity to your spiritual journey.
Psalm 19:1
“The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
Have you ever had one of those moments where something in nature just… stops you?
Like a sunset that doesn’t even look real.
Or a night sky so full of stars it feels bigger than you know how to process.
The sound of waves crashing into the shoreline.
The stillness of a quiet morning with only the happy sound of a birdsong.
Even something small, like the detail in a leaf or the way a bird just takes off into the air.
The amazing miracle of placing some seeds, or bulbs into the ground and watching life unfold before you very eyes.
There is something about those moments.
You don’t just see them… you feel them.
In that moment, that act of "seeing", perhaps it's only for a second, but have you noticed how everything slows down at that experience?
Even people who aren’t sure what they believe about God will sometimes say things like,
“That felt… meaningful.”
Or, “I don’t know why, but that moment stayed with me.”
It’s like something deep within us recognizes the beauty and life around us, yet we are left without the words, or a way to fully explain the moment.
Above, that line from Psalm 19 says that creation is actually speaking. Not with words. Not in a way you can measure or prove. But in a quieter way. As a friend put it to me, it is "more like a nudge than a shout."
And maybe that’s why moments like that matter. Because beauty has a way of waking us up a little. The order or the world around us that is clearly noticable has a way of steadying us. And those moments of wonder, open something deep within us. Perhaps these experiences are not trying to make us believe anything, but just sparking our curiosity.
I sometimes ask in wonder:
Why does beauty exist at all? Why do things like a sunset or sunrise, or birdsong, or autumn colors move us so deeply? And why does the world feel both vast and yet strangely near?
You know some people I have known have come to faith in God or the Creator through study or answering deep searching questions.
But a lot of people? A lot of people they start with wonder.
With a sense that maybe, there’s more going on than we can see.
That maybe the world isn’t just random.
That maybe what we’re feeling in those moments is an invitation.
Not pressure. Not certainty. Just… an invitation to pay attention and take notice.
If you have ever stood outside and felt small in a good way… say on a beach at midnight looking up into the stars above ....
or found peace near the waters edge …
or felt something shift or change in you during a quiet moment in nature… watching a hummingbird or the beauty and activity of the Monarch, maybe that wasn’t just a passing feeling.
Maybe it was a hint. That there’s more present around us than we usually notice.
What if that beauty that impacts us so deeply might not be accidental. That we all might be part of something bigger than we understand.
Psalm 19 says the heavens are declaring something.
The only question is: Are we slowing down enough to notice?
Something to Think About
When was the last time something in nature made you pause, stopped you in your tracks, and can you recall what it stirred in you?
There is something about those moments.
You don’t just see them… you feel them.
In that moment, that act of "seeing", perhaps it's only for a second, but have you noticed how everything slows down at that experience?
Even people who aren’t sure what they believe about God will sometimes say things like,
“That felt… meaningful.”
Or, “I don’t know why, but that moment stayed with me.”
It’s like something deep within us recognizes the beauty and life around us, yet we are left without the words, or a way to fully explain the moment.
Above, that line from Psalm 19 says that creation is actually speaking. Not with words. Not in a way you can measure or prove. But in a quieter way. As a friend put it to me, it is "more like a nudge than a shout."
And maybe that’s why moments like that matter. Because beauty has a way of waking us up a little. The order or the world around us that is clearly noticable has a way of steadying us. And those moments of wonder, open something deep within us. Perhaps these experiences are not trying to make us believe anything, but just sparking our curiosity.
I sometimes ask in wonder:
Why does beauty exist at all? Why do things like a sunset or sunrise, or birdsong, or autumn colors move us so deeply? And why does the world feel both vast and yet strangely near?
You know some people I have known have come to faith in God or the Creator through study or answering deep searching questions.
But a lot of people? A lot of people they start with wonder.
With a sense that maybe, there’s more going on than we can see.
That maybe the world isn’t just random.
That maybe what we’re feeling in those moments is an invitation.
Not pressure. Not certainty. Just… an invitation to pay attention and take notice.
If you have ever stood outside and felt small in a good way… say on a beach at midnight looking up into the stars above ....
or found peace near the waters edge …
or felt something shift or change in you during a quiet moment in nature… watching a hummingbird or the beauty and activity of the Monarch, maybe that wasn’t just a passing feeling.
Maybe it was a hint. That there’s more present around us than we usually notice.
What if that beauty that impacts us so deeply might not be accidental. That we all might be part of something bigger than we understand.
Psalm 19 says the heavens are declaring something.
The only question is: Are we slowing down enough to notice?
Something to Think About
When was the last time something in nature made you pause, stopped you in your tracks, and can you recall what it stirred in you?
Let's Pray
God,
You’re not afraid of our questions.
You’re not put off by our doubts.
Meet us in what we don’t understand.
And help us see You more clearly—
not just in answers,
but in Jesus.
Amen.
You’re not afraid of our questions.
You’re not put off by our doubts.
Meet us in what we don’t understand.
And help us see You more clearly—
not just in answers,
but in Jesus.
Amen.
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