CT-NAE-EEN Conference on Creation-care June 28-30, 2004

Devotions: Rev. Dwight McKissic
Senior Pastor, Cornerstone Baptist Church

Ps 19:1-4 (KJV) reads: "The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth and their words to the ends of the world."

And in the book of Romans, chapter 1, verse 20, the Apostle Paul states: "For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead so that they are without excuse."

God has been faithful to send great preachers to proclaim his name throughout history, the history of the Christian church. In most of our lifetimes, we have been privileged to hear two of God's greatest preachers - Billy Graham and Martin Luther King Jr. Generations before us heard D.L. Moody, John Jasper, Billy Sunday and Charles Finey, just to name a few. Europe was privileged to have heard George Whitfield, C.H. Spurgeon (I believe they spoke in America also) the great Martin Luther, who Martin Luther King was named after, John Christensen, to name a few. North Africa heard great preachers like Augustine, Teutullian, Origen, and Cyprian, again, just to name a few.

However, David and Paul, taught that before any of these preachers came along, God's creation proclaimed his greatness, goodness, glory, and yes, even the gospel. Long before any of these men took the stage, Paul said that God's invisible attributes are clearly seen in creation and his eternal power and Godhead, leaving man without excuse when it comes to expressing faith in God. David and Paul taught that God revealed Himself through nature. "The heavens declare the glory of God, " David said. "And the firmament shows forth his handiwork." In my tradition, all preachers, when talking about the creation would say, "God stepped out on nothing, and stood on nowhere, and hung something where there was nothing, and said stay there."

When Moses asked God, "Whom shall I tell him sent me, who shall I say to Pharaoh that gave me the power to tell you to let your people go. Whom shall I tell him sent me?" God said to Moses, "you just simply tell them 'I AM that I AM.' You don't have to tell them I hung the stars some 93 billion miles in space, the moon some 258 million miles in space. You don't have to tell him about the nine planets, you don't have to tell him I painted the sky blue, and carpeted the earth with green grass. You just tell him 'I AM that I AM.' They ought to be able to look at nature and see my handiwork." When the grass turns brown in the winter, and it comes back to life in the spring, God is trying to tell us that dead things can come back to life.

Even in adversity, according to the scripture, nature speaks to us. Jesus talked about rains falling, and the winds blowing, and the floods occurring. He said if Elijah built on the solid rock of God's word, Elijah would stand.

You heard the story about a Chicago lawyer, en route to a funeral, and on the boat ride heard about another death in his family. But, God calmed his heart and wrote the words "When peace like a river, shall attendeth my way." I am reminded of another hymn that Martin Luther King was so fond of calling: "I've seen the lightening flashing, I've heard the thunders rolling and I've felt the breakers dashing, trying to conquer my soul. But I've heard the voice of Jesus, telling me to still fight on. For he's promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone."

David says "Praise the Lord, praise God in his sanctuary. Praise him in his firmament, praise his mighty acts. Praise Him according to his excellent greatness. Let everything that hath breath praise ye the Lord." This is my Father's world. Amen.