Lessons from a Mountain Stream: Learning to Read God’s Creation
by Joe Leavell
Many years ago, I had the opportunity to go on an extended bike ride along a long mountain trail in the Sierra Nevada with my church. A small group of us trekked over twenty five miles through the woods, enjoying a glorious day that allowed us to experience the beauty of God’s creation.
Being in decent shape, and still in my twenties, I decided to strike out ahead of the group for a while to scope things out. After a couple of hours at a fairly brisk pace, a meadow bridge came into view, overlooking a good sized stream.
The Meadow Bridge
Growing hungry and having some time before the others caught up, I sat down on a large rock beside the stream to eat a snack.
At first, I enjoyed the beauty of the meadow, though I was more focused on resting and eating. I had not anticipated just how far ahead of the others I had gone. This was before I had bought one of those new smartphones, so there I was, in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to do but look and observe.
I began by taking in my surroundings. I found myself sitting below a bridge in a meadow about half as wide as a football field, with forest on either end. I could see the trail I had come from, and looking the other way, I watched as it quickly disappeared again into the trees.
The breeze was crisp and clean, carrying the fragrance of flowers and grasses with new smells that had not been present in the musky woods.
Watching the Stream
For thirty minutes or more, I stayed there on my rock, talking with God and watching the small river. As I observed, I noticed how the stream changed:
In some places, it moved slowly, meandering wider through the field.
In other places, it ran quickly, making far more commotion.
The river flowed over rocks of every size. Some were as small as a finger and others as large as a bicycle tire.
As the water poured over the rocks, it made a steady gurgling sound that drowned out everything else.
It was the rocks that captured my attention. No matter their size, they could not hold back the water. Each tried its best to resist, yet the river continued over and around them. Over time, the relentless flow had smoothed and rounded their edges, leaving a clear mark of the river’s shaping force.
I tossed a few rocks into the stream for fun, enjoying the splash. In an instant, the sight and sound from the rock would disappear. Nothing remained but the river, rushing onward over the newly placed stones.
Lessons from the Rocks
As I sat there, my imagination turned toward spiritual matters. I asked the Lord to teach me what I should see. I began to imagine my life as one of those rocks, and the work of God in me as the relentless stream.
I began to realize a few things:
The Spirit shapes us over time.
The rapids are not evidence of God’s absence. Sometimes it is where His power is most clearly at work.
I cannot bend God’s course to fit my will any more than a rock can stop a river.
I have a choice: participate in what God is doing, allowing His presence to flow through my life, or try to get in His way by inserting my own will. Good luck with that.
My experience also taught me that sometimes God’s ways take time to appreciate truly. I had noticed very little until I had allowed the distractions to fall away.
As I prayed and worshiped beside the stream, I thanked God for the gift of time in nature and the lesson He taught me through simple observation. When the others caught up, I shared what I had seen. I am confident none of them remember what I shared, but I will never forget the gift of those moments by the stream.
What about you? Do you have memories like this? Maybe they came at the beach, or while watching clouds drift by? What has God taught you about Himself as He revealed just a small measure of His world?
Observing Creation as a Means of Perception
Scripture tells us in Romans 1:19 that God’s “...invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made…”
Have you perceived? Have you stopped to see His glory on display in His creation?
If the primary source of your understanding of natural revelation and common grace wisdom comes from books alone, you may be missing the quiet wisdom that comes from watching clouds, studying anthills, hearing sheep as shepherds call them by name, or gazing at a stream as it carves its way through a meadow.
It is one thing to read about trees, but quite another to pause in a forest:
Listen as the wind rustles the aspens
Smell the fragrant dew on the pines
Watch and hear a woodpecker pound tirelessly in search of grubs
These moments ask something of us: attention, stillness, and time.
Creation as Invitation
Nature and experience were not first given as tools for counseling or self-help; that is secondary. They were given as signposts to the greatness and majesty of God, inviting us to see, marvel, and enter into awe-filled worship.
Those who see the Designer, marvel. Those who cannot see His hand may still experience common grace and stand in wonder, but they miss the deeper, true beauty of worshiping the Creator.
No parent would be content to merely read or watch a video about a child’s development while missing out on watching their toddler learn to walk. Similarly, tragic is the one who visits the Grand Canyon but is glued to their phone. So too then, those who rely primarily on secondhand observations of others, or worse, are too distracted even to see and appreciate what God has made, miss the splendor altogether.
A Closing Reflection
Many who come to counseling are weighed down with anxiety, stress, and burnout from overextended schedules. They ask for advice to cope, yet have never paused long enough to stand in awe as the sun sets over a valley.
Others pursue selfish ambition or endless “more.” They would be well served by looking up at the night sky and seeing the vast Milky Way stretch across the heavens and remembering how the heavens never cease to declare God’s glory, not their own.
Some see only the hardships of life and wonder if God will ever provide more. They miss the grace and beauty evident when considering a field clothed with flowers.
There are many burdened by fear, always on alert for what might go wrong. They might learn from listening to the birds who rise each morning to sing praises before they search for food, living out the truth that the Father knows what they need before they ask.
Those who are burdened by guilt and shame, convinced their failures define them. They would be helped by standing beside a shoreline and watching the tide come in again and again, reminded that God’s mercies are new every morning and that He delights in restoring what has been worn down.
Our God has written more than one book. One is the Bible. The other is His world. If we never learn to read the One written in wind, water, and soil, Scripture indicates our worship will remain thinner than intended.
May we learn again to watch, to listen, and to receive so that our hearts are stirred not merely by beauty, but by the glory of the God who gives it.
Do not be surprised then if your counselor tells you to go outside and take a walk. Shut down your distractions. See and really observe. Take note of God’s creation and what it teaches you. Find a quiet spot and worship as you glory in awe at His majesty!
Would you resolve this year to stop, observe, and reflect?
Your life may never be the same.
For Further Reflection:
Awe: Why it Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do - Paul David Tripp
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