God, my shepherd!
I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction. Psalms 23:1-3 MSG
Cool streams within forests of green and the serene quiet of a lush vibrant meadow. These are places of rest for the soul. Have you been to places like this? We are more often surrounded by the man-made jungle of buildings, roads, and noise. Is your soul disquieted within you? Are you overwhelmed by the pace and busyness of life? There is something about getting out into God’s created nature that is a balm and healing to our souls, and then we finally feel like we are able to breathe and relax.
Sometimes it’s worth the effort to travel to the forest and streams and spend time there. God’s creation is worth abiding in. To hike, and walk, and sit by running mountain streams is refreshing for our souls. As it has always been since the dawn of our creation. The first Garden must have been quite the place; oh how we were created to be in such beautiful surroundings.
Heaven will also be of that excellence of creation, and beyond what earth currently has in mountains, forests, rivers, and streams. God obviously LOVES to create beautiful places for us to dwell with Him. We often don’t realize the love God has for us because we are so saturated by Man’s twisted manipulation of God’s creation. The best designers work to incorporate God’s creation within their projects. Our souls were created to be with His creation / nature.
I encourage you to go to these places and purposely ‘listen’ for the Spirit of God while resting with Him in His creation. Listen to His love for you. Listen to the majesty of His whispers. Breathe in the smell of the pine trees and mountain air. Feel the refreshing passing breeze. Rest.
*selah*