I know the artist.

Do you ever look at a sunset, roaring waves in the sea, snow-capped mountains, cottony clouds, stars in a velvet sky, or a lush pine forest and just marvel at the One who made it all? Sometimes you just have to say “thank-you” to the creator who gifted us with this world that is not only functional, not only provides for our needs, but is also amazing and beautiful.

David seemed to have those kinds of thoughts in mind when he penned these words:

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory in the heavens. Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?

You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! - Psalm 8

As we read the Bible, we realize that God reveals himself in what he has made. He wants us to see his majesty, power, glory, and personality in the things he’s created and put so dramatically on display. We just need eyes to see and a heart to respond to the Creator who relates to us personally.

My husband and I buy pottery from our favorite local potter. The works of his hands are beautiful, but they are even more special to us because we know the man who made them.

We have two paintings on the walls of our home that our daughter produced in her growing-up years. They are beautiful themes creatively presented, and we love them all the more because we know and love the artist.

I look outside my window and see expanses of sky with varieties of clouds touching mountain tops all around me. I see the stream running by and notice the morning birds beginning to perch in the trees. The natural beauty that surrounds me is all the more precious because I know the Creator. And he knows me!

Someone once said, "God didn't create the world and then say to mankind, 'Don't mess it up!'" Instead, I think he may have said something more like, "Here's my world. Make it home. Plant flowers, grow food, care for the animals, build places to live and work. And don't forget to take walks, swim in the lakes, have picnics, stare at the stars, and talk to me all the while you are doing these things. The more you know and love me, the more you will love what I have created. It's ours to enjoy together!"

And, now for a more current psalm, but a psalm, none-the-less, one you might be able sing along with: "Indescribable, uncontainable, You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name. You are amazing, God. All powerful, untameable, Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim You are amazing, God.”

(from Indescribable by Chris Tomlin)