God Loves Variety - Martin Wiles

Series: Nature Lessons About God

O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures. Psalm 104:25 NLT

Variety is the spice of life. And God must think so.

My brother and I made our way to a popular spring hiking trail just outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. As we meandered along the trail, we encountered a plethora of wildflower varieties. Some lay low to the ground, making the forest floor appear as if it had a layer of snow. Others reared higher. Some bloomed green, making them difficult to see. We happened upon a group of older people led by a guide who knew the various types of wildflowers, so we stayed close and listened.

On another occasion, my wife and I, along with another couple, found ourselves on the top of a mountain having lunch at a high-elevation picnic grounds. As we ate, squirrels scampered from tree to tree and ran along the ground, hoping picnickers would drop a few morsels. But these weren’t the squirrels we saw back home. I took a picture, loaded it into an app on my phone that identifies creatures, and discovered it was a red squirrel. Although they act somewhat like a gray squirrel, they look more like a chipmunk.

And the mountains always give us a glimpse of a different variety of birds. Birds I can’t identify by their sound or by their appearance.

Imagine if all the birds, other animals, and flowers looked identical. What a boring world this would be. Though he only lived in the Middle East his entire life, the psalmist noticed the variety of wildlife God had created and marveled.

The psalmist said God was a God of wisdom. And God is a creative genius. Some choose to credit evolution for the world’s variety of plant and animal life, but I choose to attribute them to an all-wise God who is bigger than any process, random or guided.

God also showed His wisdom by conceiving the plan of salvation. Who would have thought about letting salvation be purchased through His own Son? Why not let the variety of people He created work for their salvation … their forgiveness? Because we could never have earned it.

Although God loves variety, He didn’t create a variety of ways to gain salvation. Only one. By believing His Son paid for our sins and by accepting Him as our Savior. No variety of ways exist to Him. Just one.

Look around and enjoy the variety God has created. Then come to Him in the only way He has provided.

Prayer: Father, we worship You as a God of variety and for the spice it brings into our lives.

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The Spice of Variety - Martin Wiles

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. Colossians 1:16 NLT

Fog and low clouds enveloped our destination, giving it the proper atmosphere for the filming of a horror movie.

My wife and I set out for a day trip to Balsam Mountain, North Carolina. We planned to visit the primitive campground atop the mountain, perhaps as a future camping spot, and to drive the 18-mile gravel road back to Cherokee. Since hot temps had dominated our area, we looked forward to the cool temps the area boasted about—never getting over 70 degrees.

What greeted us was eerier yet more beautiful than we had imagined. Only a few people camped at the primitive sites which were soaked from the heavy fog and dew. A sign warned us we had entered bear habitat. We didn’t know whether this secluded area would be a good spot to take our young grandsons camping or not.

After scouting out the campsite, we began our trek down the gravel road. Rocks and rain-washed gulleys littered our path. We worried whether or not my wife’s small car would make it. But the road said one way. No turning back.

Though most wildflowers had bloomed out, many still shone their colors in this high-elevation area. Only four other people traveled the road with us. Like us, they were in no hurry. We made frequent stops to take pictures of wildflowers, odd-colored mushrooms, waterfalls, and old bridges. We had entered a rain forest, just not a tropical one.

Four hours later—and 800 pictures later—we exited the gravel road safely and made our way to Cherokee where we enjoyed a picnic lunch.

According to Paul, Christ created everything we can and cannot see. The beauty of the area we traversed reminded us of the statement’s truth. We marveled—and were humbled.

I’ve learned I can’t box God in. Just when I think I have Him figured out, He’ll do something differently. Traditions can’t define or confine Him, nor can my limited understanding. We couldn’t understand how the climate could be so radically different when we were only three hours away from our home.

God is sovereign, which comforts me. The beauty of the world He created and controls staggers my imagination, as does the fact that He saves all who call on Him.

Learn to enjoy the variety God has placed in the world. Don’t try to box Him in by your limited understandings and traditions.

Prayer: Father, thank You for giving us a world of variety to experience and enjoy.

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