May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14
“Every good gift in this world and the next (including innumerable wonders to enjoy in nature) was purchased by Christ for us at the cost of his life. Therefore, every sight, every sound, every fragrance, every texture, every taste in this world that is not sin is meant to intensify our admiration and love for Jesus (as Creator, Sustainer, Upholder, and Redeemer) and move us to “boast . . . in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14). The theater of wonders that we call the natural world is through Christ and for Christ.”
John Piper in “the Loss and Recovery of a Theatre of Wonders” in Providence (Wheaton: Crossway, 2020) 231.
God’s providence in nature makes it a “theatre of wonders” as Piper puts it. It is a gift not to be worshipped but to cause us “intensify our admiration and love for Jesus Christ.”
Sammy collected me at 7:30am yesterday morning. We visited the drive-thru at McDonalds to get a pair of breakfast sandwiches for each of us. Then we ventured an hour up I-70 to the Herman Gulch Trail.
The parking lot was nearly full. The trail starts at 10,400 feet. Our aim was not to hike to the lake, but to get to about 11,200 feet where the trail parallels Herman Creek and start fly fishing for Greenback Cutthroats.
The trek was challenging for me. It seemed like it went straight up for the first 45 minutes. Of course, Sammy scurried up it like a bighorn sheep. And though there were many hikers, we saw no other anglers.
Over a mile or so of water, we landed 46 of these absolutely beautiful fish, which are only accessible a few months of the year. It was technical fishing for the Colorado state fish. Our Creator had fun designing them!
They are diminutive, which means admittedly small, but living at the treeline means their season without ice and snow is short. But Jesus sustains them. We witnessed it. He fed them with hatches of mayflies and caddis.
Of course when we offered them mayfly and caddis patterns they struck our flies. After snapping some photos of these protected fish, we celebrated the gift of time together in the “theatre of wonders.”
We say that catching a trout like this is God’s gift to us. Releasing it is our gift to the next angler. But that moment we enjoy it’s beauty and colors was made possible by Christ so we are filled with gratitude.
Get outside and enjoy the beauty of Creation. May “every sight, every sound, every fragrance, every texture, every taste” point your attention to our generous Savior and Sustainer, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Tomorrow’s header photo will celebrate the awesome scenery cared for by the Providence of God.