Niagara Falls and God's Glory

On the way home from Haliburton Scout Reserve our scout troop stopped at Niagara Falls. I am fascinated by any waterfall, so a gigantic waterfall like Niagara Falls is really cool to me. Apparently I am not alone in my fascination with large waterfalls because Niagara Falls is like a magnet for people. There were people from every walk of life admiring the sight. There were people from different economic statuses, many different nationalities and from what I could see on the surface many different religious beliefs as well. The questions that I dealt with were: why are so many different kinds of people drawn to a bunch of water falling over a cliff and what is common to all of these people?
My answer is related to my last post about God’s creation of the universe and man’s place in it. I look up at the stars and say that there is no way that this universe was formed randomly. I look at Niagara Falls and say the same thing. If this is some random formation of water and rock then why are so many people drawn to it. If creation was random and humans are all randomly formed then people should be fascinated with different landmarks equally. In a random universe a waterfall is no more appealing than a bend in the river or a rock next to a tree. We do not live in a random universe hence; humans are drawn to the amazing places on earth. Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountains and the oceans all draw people to them. People do have something in common that goes across all divisions of societies: they are created in God’s image.
Niagara Falls is a testament to the wonder and power of God in his creation. It says that a God who could make something so magnificent out of water falling over rocks must be spectacular himself. People are drawn to these wonders because in some way whether they believe it or want to believe it, they long for their creator. Even the most ardent atheist is without excuse according to Romans 1:20-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. So they are without excuse. God’s power is evident “in the things that have been made”. Believers come to the falls and marvel at the wonderful God that created such things and the unbelievers go and unknowingly condemn themselves by recognizing God’s amazing power in creation and then leaving and ignoring him.
All people on earth are created in God’s image and this is the one common factor among everyone. A trip to Niagara Falls made this clear to me. Humans are drawn to things larger and grander than themselves such as big waterfalls. This is due to the relationship between creator and created that exists. Many people have denied this relationship and they have become hardened against God. If it were not for the explanations given in scripture like Romans 1, I would not understand how someone could see Niagara Falls and deny God’s glory in creation. As wonderful as a waterfall is, it is a tiny piece of creation. The glory of the creator dwarfs the glory of his creation and I hope for the day when all peoples will praise God for his greatness.

The Vastness of the Universe

I spent last week at a scout camp in Haliburton, Ontario and one the activities was a starhike. The starhike involved no actual hiking; it was two groups of scouts on pontoon boats in the middle of a lake looking at the stars. It was a good experience because that night was a clear and cool night, and the sky was filled with stars. It is an amazing sight to see the entire night sky lit up. I reflected on the fact that each of those stars is around the same size or bigger than the sun. Each of those immense stars appear as little specs of light in the sky. What is even more amazing is that this enormous universe was spoken into existence by God. In Genesis 1:16 the stars are mentioned seemingly as an afterthought. They are tacked on the end of the sentence- "and the stars". This gigantic universe that no person knows the size of and is filled with gigantic fireballs is described in three words. It is difficult to feel large and significant while staring up at the vast night sky. Add to that, there is a God who can create such things just by speaking and he numbers them and knows their names (Psalm 147:4) and a person should not feel very significant at all.
My amazement does not end there; human beings are made in the image of the creator of the universe.(Genesis 1:26) The small insignificant person who cannot fathom the size of the universe is made in the image of the one who created that universe. This brings together humility and pride. We should all feel responsibility and pride at being made in God's image. Humility should come when evaluate how we live up to God's image. No one lives up to God's image and the only way to do that is to rely upon the creator. He created the universe by speaking and he can save humans who tarnish his image. Every person should have a passion and a drive to praise and honor God for both his creation and his miraculous way of saving those who profane his image.