Blake Long

There are a plethora of things in life that cause us to be amazed, to wonder, to be in awe. Sunsets are glorious, waterfalls are beautiful, and though I’ve never been, I’m sure the Grand Canyon is spectacular.

Creation is full of wonders that are bigger than us. But have we considered that all of those things point to something even bigger?

Jonathan Edwards said:

The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. . . . [These] are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams; but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God is the ocean.

The setting of a sunset; the majestic peaks of mountains; the beautiful landscapes of valleys; the blooming of flowers—all of these are, as Edwards mentions, but “scattered beams.” They are mere shadows.

Mere shadows of what, though? Of God’s beauty; of God’s transcendent majesty; of God’s holy splendor. Life is full of masterpieces and works and designs; of inventions and crafts and compositions. From the music of Beethoven to the painting of the Mona Lisa, from the chirping of birds to the sun setting on the shore of a beach — all things would not be beautiful if beauty itself didn’t exist in God.

RC Sproul once wrote:

Beauty is not an arbitrary human invention; it is a reflection of the glory of God. It is the divine fingerprint on the created world.”

All beauty points to God. It reflects God’s nature as infinitely beautiful—when we see something beautiful we direct our gaze (or at least should) to the most beautiful one. Beauty evokes worship. As I look up at the night’s sky and marvel at the moon and the stars, I can’t help but worship the Lord because of His fingerprints and design of creation.

So, friend, the next time you gaze at something beautiful, the next time you reflect on something that is breathtaking, remember that it all points to the majestic one, God Himself.