Hearing God, Pt. 4: God’s Voice in Nature
(Leader’s Note: If possible, consider working through this Guide outside. Whether in someone’s backyard, at a park, or even on a rooftop deck at someone’s apartment, it could aid the Practice tonight to be in nature of some kind.)
Take Communion
Leader: Begin your gathering by taking communion together, whether as a full meal together or some version of the bread and the cup before or after your meal. If you don’t already have a Communion liturgy, have someone lead through this guided prayer:
Holy Spirit, as we begin our time tonight, would you bring to our minds a moment in which we heard your voice really clearly this last week?
(Leader: Pause here for a moment.)
God, we remember that you are kind and that you love to speak to us.
We remember that you are patient and will continue to teach us to hear you.
We remember that you are gracious, gentle, and good.
And, for all of this, we are thankful.
Amen.
Read This Overview Aloud Together
Throughout history, various parts of nature have been worshiped – the sun that gives light and warmth, the rain that waters and nourishes, the land that provides sustenance and shelter. Watching stormy waves break offshore or the flames of a raging bonfire stirs reflection on the power and majesty they hold. But how much more the One who made it all? Rather than worshiping the creation, the authors of Scripture teach us to worship the One who made it, the Creator. God is not the trees or the sun or the ocean, but God does allow his voice to speak through them. For millennia, creation has moved God’s people to worship of the Creator.
From cover to cover, the Bible speaks of nature and creation worshiping God, declaring his glory, and revealing his voice. In the Psalms, we read that the skies declare God’s glory and his works. Job tells his friends to ask the animals and the earth to teach them about God. Even Jesus tells the Pharisees that if his disciples are quiet, the rocks themselves will cry out. In fact, most of God’s miracles in the Bible interact with creation — Jesus turns water into wine, Moses parts the sea, Elisha uses a stick to heal poisonous water, Jesus uses mud to cure blindness. If we pay close enough attention, God is revealing himself to us through his creation.
Think about the last time you were intentionally outside. There is an aliveness that courses through us, even a hope that begins to grow. What if this is God speaking to us? What if we are hearing God’s voice outside of our early morning quiet time or the Sunday gathering? Perhaps our bodies, brains, and souls are hearing something about God in nature that, even when we’re not aware, causes us to respond accordingly. What could happen in our connection to God if we began to intentionally listen to the natural world around us? What revelation about God’s kingdom and character, big and small, might God be trying to show us?
Do This Practice Tonight
Tonight we are going to sit with Psalm 19, which has something to say about God’s voice in nature, and then we’ll take some time to share our own experiences of God in creation.
To begin, we are going to meditate through Psalm 19, letting the words guide us in how we can allow nature to teach us about what God is like. We have already spent some time during this series exploring how God speaks to us through the Bible, so as we read through this ancient song slowly a few times, pay attention to what sticks out in these verses. As a word or phrase or sentence pops out, stay with it and let it roll and your mind and heart. What might God want you to know about how creation is trying to teach you about him?
Welcome God to Speak – Take a few deep breaths and let your mind and body settle. Take a moment in the quiet to invite the Spirit to speak to you through his Scriptures about his creation.
Let’s Read & Meditate on Psalm 19 – After a moment of silence, we’ll read the passage slowly twice, allowing time in between each reading for us to meditate in silence. It may be helpful to have a different person read each time, so both readers get a chance to hear the Scripture read over them. As we meditate in the quiet, name what sticks out to you. Is it the active role creation plays in worshiping God? Is it that God’s way of living is likened to the sweet taste of honey? Is it the fact that God is called our Rock? What does this ancient song have to teach us about creation? What specifically might God want to speak to you through it?
Thank God for Speaking – As we move on, take just a moment more in the quiet to thank God for speaking to us in his Scriptures about how he speaks to us through his creation.
(Leader’s Note: After another moment, close in prayer and call everyone back together.)
Now let’s spend some time reflecting together. We’ll work through just a few questions together:
What was God saying to you (or teaching you or doing in you) during that meditation on Psalm 19?
What encounters have you had with God in nature before? Where do you feel that “aliveness” in you that wells up by being in God’s creation?
Read The Practice for the Week Ahead
This week’s Practice is pretty simple: Go on a walk with God. Whether at Mt. Tabor Park or in your own backyard, intentionally place yourself alone with God in nature. As you walk, invite God to open all of your senses to what his creation is saying about him. Take time to find 2 or 3 things that may have something to reveal to you about God. Perhaps it’s the smell of a flower or the sight of a tree or the sound of birdsong. Just as we stayed with the word or phrase that stuck out to us from Psalm 19, stay with this whatever seems to be drawing your attention and ask God to speak to you through it. Keep in mind that all of this will likely require you to go slower than you’re used to, so be willing to stop or sit down or linger when you feel God speaking. Take your time and be as present as you’re able. Whenever your time is up, thank God for speaking to you through his creation and make the intention to remember this practice next time you find yourself outside.
Two quick notes. First, this could be a helpful Practice to include in your Sabbath rhythm, especially during the summer – slowly lingering with God in the cathedral of creation, letting him speak to you about who he is. Secondly, this is an incredible Practice to do with children because they tend to be better at paying attention to what we may normally filter out as distractions.
End in Prayer
Leader: Close your time together asking God that we might grow as hearers of his voice.