The God Who Is Here With Us

An Unexpected Discovery

Last weekend my family went camping at Silver Lake State Park. Sunday was a windy, cooler day so we took advantage of the weather and hiked a mile and a half across the sand dunes to Lake Michigan. Sweatshirts went on, off, and on again as we hiked. We finally made it—panting and sweating—to the beach.

The wind was whipping and the waves were huge. There was no one else in sight. It felt like we were the only people left on the planet. We watched the water crashing at our feet and wandered along the edge of the sand. In the distance I spotted something strange. It looked like a bunch of dead trees were standing in a clump next to the water. I convinced my family to check it out. We started walking and slowly the “trees” got larger and came into view.

They weren’t trees after all. They were driftwood logs. The closer we got, the more our amazement grew. Eventually we were among them. “It’s like a museum,” my children gasped.

Driftwood was stuck into the ground, stacked, woven together, and carefully arranged. We wandered, observed, and felt compelled to add pieces of our own. It was hard to leave.

The Random Driftwood Art

I initially assumed that this art creation must be at the end of a main trail leading from the sand dunes to the lake. But when we went to leave and tried to find the trail, it wasn’t there. We ended up bushwhacking our way through beach grass and scrub trees. The surprise art we discovered was just a random driftwood garden on a random strip of beach.

I don’t know who started it, or how many people have added to it, or if it will survive the winter waves (probably not). But I do know one thing: someone made it. If I was going to name this particular piece of art I’d call it I Was Here.

I feel the same way about the nature that surrounds me. Just like I didn’t see the driftwood art and assume it happened to wash up in those particular places, I struggle to see our world as something that could happen by accident or chance. It’s too perfectly ordered. It’s too artistic.

The God Who Creates

This is not a creation vs evolution piece. I’m not debating the age of the earth or trying to decide if Genesis 1-3 is giving a literal account of creation (although I don’t think it is). I’m not a fundamentalist about those things any more. Sure I have beliefs, but I’m willing to listen and consider other beliefs. Because at the end of the day, no one was actually there to see it happen except for God.

And yet, I am confident that God created exactly like I am confident that people created the driftwood art we found. This world of ours is too intricate, beautiful, intertwined, and complicated for it to be a cosmic accident. Science and mathematics are basically humans discovering patterns and laws that were already quietly existing before someone found and explained them. From the tiny worlds we can only view with microscopes to the vast ever-expanding universe we can barely get a glimpse of with our most powerful telescopes, everything surrounding us is beautifully and complexly ordered.

Everything is whispering I Am Here.

“For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse”

Romans 1:20 (NET).

When we take away creation’s voice by assuming that it all happened thanks to an incredibly fortunate accident, we miss God speaking to us in breathtakingly powerful ways. And when we become fundamentalist in our defense or rejection of His creation, we miss the point of why He created.

I don’t think that Genesis 1-3 is a science textbook anymore. I don’t think it is a literal explanation of the detailed facts. I think it’s theology. It’s core theology that is vital to abundant life as human beings. Genesis 1-3 tells us that:

• God intentionally created
• The Godhead personally fashioned humans to be like Them
• People were always given a choice
• Choosing to listen to lies and reject God’s way bring separation
• Creation is now broken and nothing works like it was supposed to
• God pursues the people He created and loves
• The goal has always been redemption

I build on these thoughts more fully in my book, Religious Rebels. In fifteen short chapters the Garden of Eden shows up three times.

What would you add to my list? I’d love to hear! Feel free to respond to this email or comment below. And enjoy these pictures of our amazing world that I will always believe was intentionally created by a loving God.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, or comments. You can find me on Threads, Instagram, Facebook, Substack and on my original podcast. I’d love to connect with you on any of these places!