Job 12:7-10: “Ask the animals and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.”
I retired from the Army in 2005 after serving as a Chaplain to soldiers and families. After my retirement, I was blessed to be hired by the National Park Service as a Park Ranger. In my role as a Ranger, I began to experience God differently. Much of the Bible was revealed to me in a new way.
Throughout the Bible, we realize that God speaks to us in the ocean waves, the skies, fields and flowers and even the singing of the birds. God’s eternal power and divine nature are clearly seen through the world He has created. (Romans 1:20) Nature is one of God’s great creations and in nature He is able to teach us, speak to us and provide for us.
One day while hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (over 900 miles of hiking trails), I sensed that mankind is still attempting to build the Tower of Babel. Man builds theme parks, water parks, ballparks and animal parks…yet I’ve yet found anything to compare with God’s park!
What do you do when you feel down, discouraged or disillusioned? May I suggest you turn off the electronics, turn off the television and spend some time in God’s park? I believe it will soothe your soul and refresh your spirit. Man will never improve on what God has created. Spending time with God in nature can help us free our challenges.
I am not suggesting we substitute our worship of God in our churches for worship of God in nature. I am suggesting we allow nature into our worship of God as it reminds us of God’s goodness. Need I remind you that Jesus often used nature to make a spiritual point? Read His parables and perhaps you’ll gain a better understanding of the importance of nature in our relationship with God.
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About the author: Dan Payne is a decorated U.S. Army veteran and former Park Ranger. He enlisted in the military in 1969 and later attended the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. After graduating, he rejoined the military and served as a U.S. Army chaplain from 1982 to 2005. After retirement, Dan embarked on a second career, working as a seasonal Park Ranger with the National Park Service for 17 years. He worked at Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. In 2021, Dan was inducted into the U.S. Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame at Fort Benning. Originally from Lagrange, Georgia, Dan and his wife Jo now live in Blairsville.
