Month: September 2021

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Seeing Christ in Nature

Occasionally I have an opportunity to do some nature photography. We know that all creation, including the earth, suffered when man rebelled against God. In spite of that, nothing can remove His fingerprints from the natural order. Here I am sharing a few photos that illustrate this point.

This image is a small detail from a much larger waterfall, taken near Chimney Rock in North Carolina. Because the water appears to be flowing from the rock, it reminds me of God’s provision for the Children of Israel as they passed through the wilderness between Egypt and the Promised Land.

The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, “For I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:1-4). Water is a necessity for life. God provided for His people in the wilderness. Through Christ, God continues to provide every necessity for His people today.

This second image comes from a pond, not far from where I live. The water lilies in the background speak to me of life. The wilted flowers in the foreground testify to faded glory and death. But the seeds in each of them point to new life. Jesus said that, unless a seed falls into the earth and dies, it cannot bear fruit. His own death and burial planted a seed that rose up at his resurrection, and the fruitfulness of resurrection life continues to this day.

I made the last of these images at sunrise, also not far from my home. It depicts a field on which corn is growing. The clouds overhead almost have the appearance of an outstretched hand. It speaks to me of Jesus Christ’s guidance and protection over us while we are in the process of spiritual growth. I hope that, by sharing these pictures, I have encouraged you while we experience the rigors of God’s transforming work. Also, I hope that you’ll be alert for Jesus making himself visible in your own surroundings.

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Proclaiming Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit

Confessing and proclaiming can be effective forms of prayer. Who is to do the proclaiming? We can, as individuals or as a group. Who is the audience? Jesus himself. Other believers. Unbelieving humanity. The invisible forces of God’s enemy that enslave and oppress humanity in the world system. 

And what are we to proclaim? We can base our confessions and proclamations on Psalms and other scriptures, on hymns, and on our own experiences. For example, we might proclaim to Jesus, “You, O Christ, are all I want. More than all in You I find.” The apostle John proclaimed Jesus to fellow believers. He opened his first letter with this statement: 

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

All the epistles of Paul, Peter and John are essentially proclamations of Jesus Christ to the believers who formed the early church. The book that we know by the name “Revelation” is, according to its first verse, an “Apokalypsis [unveiling] of Jesus Christ.”  The scriptures also record proclamations directed to unbelievers. Examples include Peter’s address to the crowd on the Day of Pentecost, and the message Stephen delivered to the religious leaders of the Jews that led to his martyrdom.

Ultimately, the Holy Spirit inspires every true proclamation. As Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 12:3, “…no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit.” Here are examples of proclamations that we might make to Jesus in prayer:

Jesus, you are my Savior. You have redeemed me, and all humanity, from the earth. You have, by your blood, provided a complete salvation. It liberates everyone who comes to you from sin and death. It enables everyone who receives you to stand in the Father’s presence. It gathers us into the household of God as children and heirs with you. It places us in the current of God’s eternal purpose, the divine intention to sum up everything in you! You have accomplished all of this. It is so magnificent that I cannot comprehend it. Nevertheless, I humbly commit myself to you. 

Jesus, you are Lord! The earth is yours, and all that is in it. You were involved in every detail of its creation. You are its rightful King. We have cast in our lot with you. You have given us your own life and received us as sisters and brothers. We represent you in this world. Today is a day that you have made; we rejoice as we walk in it with you. 

Jesus, your life is active on the earth today in my fellow believers who are faithful to you. I thank you for revealing yourself to me through their faithfulness. I am open to having you use me in the same way, for the benefit of others.

Our Father has given us a voice. He can inspire us, through the Spirit of Truth, to proclaim the truth regarding His Son. This can take the form of prayer, song, declaration, the written word, social media, and other channels. But first, let us perform a reality check. May there be consistency between what we proclaim and the way we live! The Father’s intention is that the Son will get glory. Our expression of Jesus Christ must come from His life in us. 

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