Unruined Grandeur

In 1877, Jesuit priest Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote the poem “God’s Grandeur,” the first line of which states, ” The world is charged with the grandeur of God.” Soon, colorful lupine will cover Maine fields and roadsides giving testimony to that fact. Nothing can match nature’s beauty.

Centuries of prophets, poets, artists, writers, theologians, and songsters have exuberantly proclaimed the power visible in nature. Moses wrote that God was so pleased with His creation that He called it “good.” The Psalmist sang: “The heavens declare the glory of God /and the sky above proclaims his handiwork /Day to day pours out speech /and night to night reveals knowledge… /Their voice goes out through all the earth /and their words to the end of the world (Psalm 19:1-4).

Whether or not we attribute nature’s bountiful mysteries and magnificent beauty to God, they should cause us to wonder, to look closely, and to listen to their lessons.

In his poem, Hopkins wrote that despite being “trod” upon for generations and wearing ” man’s smudge” and sharing” “man’s smell,” “nature is never spent.” No matter how much we mar and offend them, the enduring wonders of nature along with the consistent laws which control our universe continue to boggle even the most sophisticated minds. The reason that the Apostle Paul gave for creation’s awesomeness is that it reveals God’s power and divine nature. “For his 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” (Romans 1:19-20). Third Day’s contemporary song continues to elevate that idea: “Lord of all creation /Lord of water, earth and sky /The heavens are your Tabernacle /Glory to the Lord on high.”

We can thank God for lupine and their message:

“The whole earth is full of his glory !” (Isaiah 6:3)