I was on the road tonight, making a quick trip to attend the funeral of my friend that will take place tomorrow. In the process, I am visiting my brother, Doug, as well. My friend, Erik, was on staff with Doug at the local hospital in the OB/GYN practice.
To get up north where the funeral will take place, I had two choices – the highway or the backroads. It’s been a while since I have been to the Chicago area, and I love the scenic route, so at my earliest opportunity, I pulled off the highway and started to travel the familiar country roads to my brother’s home.
I confess that I find great peace in just driving – no radio, no distractions, no interruptions. And so I had about four hours of solitude – just God and me in the midst of His creation. There was a beautiful sunset as I approached my destination and I so enjoyed my travel this evening. It was so much nicer than fighting the highway traffic – people returning to the Chicago area from their weekend homes in Michigan.
Anyway, I am reminded of the expanse of God’s creation and how at rest I am driving through His countryside. Our verse for tonight is from the psalms. The psalmist tells us, in Psalm 50:10-12, “…for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.”
No wonder it is so glorious – we are told in Genesis that God spoke it all into existence it all and we are stewards of His creation. My encouragement this evening is that we can enjoy God’s handiwork every time we see a sunrise, a sunset, a body of water or even one of the more than 1000 cornfields that I drove past this evening. My prayer is that you may experience the joy and peace that come from communing with God in the midst of all that is His. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace….