The Face of Grace

Pencil sketch by JC Chambers.

Part one in a series of the grace of God from the book of John.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” John 1:1-3

God is, and always has been, self-revealing.

“In the beginning was the Word.” Words reveal. Just as we use words to reveal our thoughts to others, through “the Word,” God reveals His thoughts to us.

Words relate. They are the building blocks of relationship. Words are necessary if relationship is desired. Someone who “keeps to himself or herself” has no use for words. God does not keep to Himself. He is, and always has been, relational.

God reveals Himself to us through creation.

God spoke this world into being. “Through him (the Word) all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” When our attention is captured by nature, we are “listening” to God. “Day after day” the features of the world we live in “pour forth speech.”

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” Psalm 19:1-4

Although often credited to “Mother Nature,” the grandeur and majesty of nature bears God’s fingerprint. As a painting reveals much about the artist, this world reveals much about its creator. The world is God’s “canvas.” Erasing God’s Name from creation is like defacing a work of art by removing the artist’s signature.

It’s appropriate to feel close to God when enjoying nature. He speaks to us from verdant forests, lofty peaks, stormy seas and starry skies.

God is eternally articulate. He reveals Himself to us in order to enfold us in an eternal embrace.