The Beauties of Nature, June 20

The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.... He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered. Psalm 111:2-4

God, who made the Eden home of our first parents so surpassingly lovely, has also given the noble trees, the beautiful flowers, and everything lovely in nature for our happiness.

Wherever we turn are traces of primal loveliness. Wherever we may turn we hear the voice of God and behold His handiwork....

Nature’s ten thousand voices speak His praise. In earth, and air, and sky, with their marvelous tint and color, varying in gorgeous contrast or softly blended in harmony, we behold His glory. The everlasting hills tell us of His power. The trees wave their green banners in the sunlight, and point us upward to their Creator. The flowers that gem the earth with their beauty whisper to us of Eden and fill us with longings for its unfading loveliness. The living green that carpets the brown earth tells us of God’s care for the humblest of His creatures. The caves of the sea and the depths of the earth reveal His treasures. He who placed the pearls in the ocean and the amethyst and the chrysolite among the rocks is a lover of the beautiful. The sun rising in the heavens is the representative of Him who is the light and life of all that He has made. All the brightness and beauty that adorn the earth and light up the heavens speak of God.

Shall we, in the enjoyment of the gifts, forget the Giver? Let them rather lead us to contemplate His goodness and His love. Let all that is beautiful in our earthly home remind us of the crystal river and green fields, the waving trees and the living fountains, the shining city and the white-robed singers, of our heavenly home—that world of beauty that no artist can picture and no mortal tongue describe.