After the fall, the waterfall
Tuesday, April 28, 2009As I traveled through the mountains and valleys this past week, I got to see things that many people have seen, but probably not all in the short time that I had witnessed. Up to 8,200 feet and down to -200, it truly was a trip of diversity. From lush rain forests to the desert plain, from 102 degrees to 30, 360 foot high trees to scrub brush, dry river beds to powerful waterfalls, this trip took my breath away time and time again.
It made me think of what the world was like before the big flood in Noah's day. Were there deep canyons, tall waterfalls, mounds of granite protruding thousands of feet in the air? The earliest records don't say. It seems it was universally tropical. There were rivers but no rain. Mist watered the earth (oh, the Redwoods get around 25% of their moisture from the mist...)
However, the flood did come. Layers of sediment put down in great fashion. Canyons cut in days. Land mass sliding and buckling. Volcanic activity lit the night sky. After the flood, the earth took a new shape. Great amounts of snow causing glacier movement. New maps were needed to navigate these newly arranged land masses.
Yet, after all this violent activity, we, today, look around at the aftermath. Even after this great judgment, the world is left with incredible beauty, diversity, variety, and wonder. Places to climb, hike, and overlook magnificent views. Refreshing mist from a giant, tumbling waterfall. Animal and plant life in such amazing color and attitude.
To me, it goes to show how good and great God is. Even in judgment, he left us with incredible beauty. Had I been the one orchestrating the flood, things today would be rather flat, dull and boring (it was a judgment, remember?) Perhaps this is why I feel small standing next to a granite cliff running 2,000 feet straight up. I remember that these are formed out of God's judgment on man's rebellion. Not a small feat, pointing to the severity of just how bad is sin, and how great and powerful God is.
