God's Joy in Creation

"Then God saw everything He had made, and indeed it was very good (Genesis 1:31)."

Don't you love the sense of accomplishment you get after doing something well? An artist is most pleased after finishing a great painting, a chef after preparing an exquisite meal, and an evotion writer after posting the latest evotion!

God is also pleased with the work of His own hands. And one of God's greatest pleasures comes from the creation. When God saw the completed work, He said that it was all “very good.” God derives great joy from this natural world that He created!

He takes pleasure in floating butterflies and running streams and green valleys and snow-capped mountains and majestic lions and chirping crickets. He is interested in the intricacies of the human eye and the interaction of microscopic atoms and the vastness of the galaxies spanning across the universe. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are thrilled with the world that has been created through the Word of their Power.

God has placed each one of us as natural people in a natural world. We need to realize this fact and understand that natural things do matter. CS Lewis, the famous Christian apologist and author (most famous in modern times for writing the Chronicles of Narnia ) once observed, “Some Christians try to be more spiritual than God.” In other words, it is possible to neglect this world to such a point that we miss out on God's purposes for our lives.

It is true that our ultimate home is not this world, it is heaven. It is true that we are pilgrims on this earth. But we are still here for now! We are in a beautiful place that has been created by the hands of God Himself. Therefore, we should put our best efforts into our natural concerns as well. We should labor at work and at school. And we should derive enjoyment and joy from the world God has created. Our ultimate joy comes not from the world but from God, but God gives us not only spiritual joy but natural joy in the world He has created.

So next time you're walking around outside, look up at the sky. Marvel at its blueness or grayness or darkness. Some day, go to a park and be amazed at the nature all around you. God has great joy in the world He has created, and through Him we can have joy in it as well. God is a great creative God, and what He has created is very, very, “very good.”