“God, give us eyes to see the wideness of your world, shimmering with beauty and holiness.  Stimulate our imaginations, infusing us with courage and hope.  Surround us with friendship.  Plant us as seeds of resurrection.  Amen.”  Eugene Peterson

Andi and I love our back porch.  I screened it in a few years ago.  (I am an advocate for the EZ Screen system.)  Our raised porch sits up against the woods.  In the warm weather nights, the sounds are glorious.  The other night we sat out there and sought to take inventory.  Each sound has its own glory.  Some intone a constant chord, unchanging in pitch.  Others vary with oscillating meter.  Some go up scales and come back down.  There is quite a mix of sounds that all blend together.  Though each is unique, none stick out in an odd discordant manner.  All aggregated together and they make for a glorious mix.  The Living God, our Creator, has made each of the creatures that make up “the orchestra.” 

Night after night, in the warm months, they give glory to God and do what they were created to do: make glorious sounds.  How dead would be the ambiance of a hot summer evening apart from the Maestro calling forth these rich sounds from His responsive creatures.

The tree frog sticks out like a sweet oboe with a solo at the symphony.  The evening summer locusts intone a squall that waxes and wanes in different temperaments.  They come and go as major players.  There are many unidentified members of the evening ensemble.  Unnamed and unseen, they come in with constant drones…all night long.  It is the sweetest of ambiance on its own, but feathered in between all of the other fellow insect musicians, the sum of the work is, well, glorious. 

How many are in the ensemble?  I can’t quite make that out.  Every time I think I have amassed all the members of God’s evening pop orchestra, a new member pops up to my ear.  I have not yet mastered the identity of each chair in God’s group, but it is glorious to try. 

Most of our hurried world misses the whole thing.  Colonial preacher Jonathan Edwards was fond of beholding the beauty of God in our God saturated world.  But in our day, it takes a little work.  It is not on a screen.  It is in the glory of nature which God created.  The work to collect the glory is worth it. 

All creatures great and small have a part in this symphony.  Most are unnoticed by the world, but fulfill their purpose in giving glory to God by playing their part.  There is a lesson there too.  It is very important.  There are no little people.  God sees.  God notices our faithfulness and the part we are playing (even when no one seems to care or notice) to fulfill the purpose of our existence in humble obedience and submission to Him.  So, go ahead and play your part.  Sing your song.  Make your sound.  God is listening.  Can you hear the affirmation in the pleasure He is taking in your obedient life?  He is noticing, writing it all down in His book (Malachi 3:16-17). 

We have all heard the adage, “Wake up, and smell the coffee!”  What if the better charge was, “Open your eyes and ears to the glory and beauty of God in our God saturated world!”  It forces us to slow down.  It moves us outside.  And, it will be moving to our soul. 

There is free parking.  There are no tickets for admission.  The experience comes with a boat load of wonder…simply by opening our ears to all that God has created in our incredible world;  a place made all along to give glory to the God who brought it all to be and to give pleasure to humans who are created to delight in Him.

“Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it!  Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes….”  Psalm 96:11-13

“And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them saying, ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!’”  Revelation 5:13

Tonight’s performance starts at dark.  But it is true, a few outliers begin to tune up as dusk sets in.  Pull up a chair and enjoy the symphony.  Let everyone who has an ear to hear hear.