It All Belongs to Him

by Crystal Bowman

The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.  Psalm 24:1 NIV

King David’s words in Psalm 24:1 have always given me goosebumps. It’s one of my favorite Bible verses. Can any statement be simpler and yet more profound? King David sums it up in a nutshell. No room for debate—just the plain and simple, powerful truth! It all belongs to Him—and so do we.   

I have always been a lover of nature—and the Creator of it all. Even as a child, I saw God’s presence in the vast, endless sky, colorful flowers, and the mighty roar of Lake Michigan’s waves. In the fall I used to watch busy squirrels gathering acorns and hiding them away for the long, cold months ahead. (I never wondered how the squirrels knew when it was time to prepare for winter. It was obvious to me—God told them!) And the first snowflake of the season was almost as fun as Christmas morning. My childlike faith was once again affirmed—I knew only God could make a snowflake.

 As an adult, I love going for walks—all by myself. Whether I walk the neighborhood streets, a wooded trail, or sandy shores, I see God all around me. The sky, the clouds, the birds, the trees, and even a wiggly worm on the sidewalk, remind me that God made them and owns them all.

I love talking to God as I take my stroll. I call it my “walk” with God. It’s so natural and easy to talk to Him when He feels close. One day when I was walking in my neighborhood, the sky was thick with white and gray swirling clouds. A tiny break in the clouds allowed a narrow sunbeam to touch the ground where I stood. It was one of those divine moments when I felt God revealing His glory just to me. I was humbled and thought, Who am I, Lord, that you would show yourself to me? God replied, You, are mine. I love you.

David felt close to God when he was in nature, too. In Psalm 8:3-8 (NIV) he writes, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.”

David was in awe and humbled that God, who has the power to create the world, also cared about him. 

God created the world and everything in it, not only for His glory, but also for our enjoyment, and He trusts us to oversee His creation. As I soak in the pleasure of being surrounded by nature, my heart fills with praise to the God who made it all and who owns it all.

This article is brought to you by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA).

About the author: Crystal Bowman is a bestselling, award-winning author of more than 100 books including, Our Daily Bread for Kids. She and her husband have three married children and seven huggable grandchildren.

When a child’s grandparent or great-grandparent is afflicted with dementia, it’s difficult to explain the disease in a way that helps the child understand why the person they love is not the same. I Love You to the Stars–When Grandma Forgets, Love Remembers, is a picture book inspired by a true story to help young children understand that even though Grandma is acting differently, she still loves them–to he stars!

Join the conversation. How do you see God in His creation?

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