The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Psalm 19:1

As I think about it, the Old Testament refers to learning from nature more than the New Testament.  That is my impression.  I can understand that.  When teaching and preaching in Tanzania and Kenya I seldom referred to the Psalms, for example where nature seems to have a more prominent place than in the philosophies at the time of Christ.  The way the Old Testament embraced the natural world always amazed me because that is not the world of the Near East when Jesus was among us.  Jesus, himself held nature and God’s Kingdom in his two hands.

Come to think of it, the way our family lived with nature, in nature, as I was growing up, opened the door to the grace of God as shown in the Old Testament.  I think it began with my mother who had a special relationship with plants, stones and sunsets.  She lived in that world of amazing grandeur.  I think it rubbed off on me.  Dad had his own good way of allowing his feelings show.  I think, especially in relationships.  Mom grew up surrounded by the marvels of nature.  Her brother and sister did not, in my estimation, have that exhilarating feeling about nature that we lived in.  I praise God for that inheritance.

Like, this morning as I was sitting on our porch sipping my second cup a male Baltimore oriole appeared in all its glory.  Why should that be so meaningful to me?  I can hardly tell but it is a reality that I embrace and own, like David the king did. Hear his words, Psalm 19. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.  They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.  Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.