Being in “God’s Country.” Literally.

I went up north last week. If you don’t live in Michigan, you may not completely understand “up north.” It can mean anything north of Detroit and usually involves both forests and beaches. (The Great Lakes are saltless and sharkless. Perfection.) Basically, it’s the best kind of vacation ever. Perhaps only a Michigander will totally agree with me.

I was up in the U.P. (that’s the upper peninsula for you non-Michiganders—yes, we have two) where there is nothing but rolling hills, acres upon acres of pine trees and miles of beaches (i.e., no wifi or cell service). I finally got to see Tahquamenon Falls, something I’ve always wanted to do. There’s a boardwalk that winds back in the woods and opens to observation decks. Spectacular. 

On other blogs you might find these pictures accompanying a post that talks all about how awesome God’s creation is. And they would be right. But this isn’t just any blog. I’m thinking about this a bit differently.

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory!” (Isaiah 6:3)

I know that not all of my readers believe the same things about God that I do. And that’s okay; I’m not asking you to. But we do see the same falls, the same forests, and the same beaches. Think about this: those sights are exactly what Isaiah 6:3 is talking about. The whole earth is filled with sights like these: the glory of God. Literally, God’s country. The natural wonders of the earth are actually a partial revelation of God’s glory.

I don’t know about you, but I want a God whose glory is displayed in stunning ways, like waterfalls, forests, beaches, stars, oceans, and skies. I don’t understand how all those things work, like why water moves the way it does or how exactly sand makes perfect little ripples underwater. But I don’t want a God who I can understand. If He’s comprehensible, what makes Him so great? Why have a God at all?

So I walk through the woods on the boardwalk and stand at the water’s edge and can only dream of what kind of God He actually is. If these things are only a fraction of the glory that God fully possesses, how could I not believe and worship such a being?