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With three kids, a full time job, graduate school and speaking engagements, I don’t have a lot of free time. I have found the best way for me to get alone with God is to wake up around five AM, spend some time in prayer and Scripture reading, then head out the door for a bike ride or a run. It is my time to talk with God, uninterrupted.

I find myself in awe of what I see during these morning forays. I live in an area with paved jogging trails. These trails wind for miles through the woods. They rise and fall with the lay of the land. They wind around corners. They dip next to streams.

Running alone, as the sun breaks over the mountain ridge that rises over my neighborhood, I frequently find myself praising God for the wonder of His workmanship. It is more than lip-service. It is a groundswell of praise from my soul, an almost involuntary rejoicing. Praising God for His creation is a thread that runs throughout Scripture, but it is a practice we as the American Church culture seem to have lost.

We have no excuse. Paul attests to the idea that we can look at the natural world and see evidence of God’s hand (Rom. 1:20.) And it is no wonder sunrises are colorful, mist is mysterious, the dew majestic in its crystal coolness. As the Firstborn of creation, the very world was created for Christ’s pleasure: “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him” (Colossians 1:16). Yet, I simply do not hear a consistent song of praise for Creation coming from our 21st century churches.

Maybe it is due to the speed in which we go about our lives. We simply don’t have time to pause and really observe the world around us. Maybe it’s our insular lifestyles. We sit as desks, or in offices, or in classrooms. Our time is spent separated from God’s canvas by man’s construction. Maybe it is a perceived sophistication; we live in the age of technology and information. Has contrived reality trumped the reality of our Divine surroundings?

Whatever reason, I have tried to make it a point to notice my surroundings more, and to give credit where credit is due.  Honestly, I feel closer to God as a result. I am more grateful for what I see around me. And I feel I am more aware of an element of God’s character our church culture has seemingly neglected.

Old hymn writers had it figured out:

Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
All Thy works with joy surround Thee, earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee, center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea,
Singing bird and flowing fountain call us to rejoice in Thee.

How Great Thou Art
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.