God’s Fingerprints on National Parks
But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 2 Peter 3:13-14 (ESV)
“Whoa!” was the whispered reaction of a middle school student when he gazed out over the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona for the first time. Taken aback by its size and beauty, President Teddy Roosevelt wrote, “I could not choose words that would convey or that could convey to any outsider what that canyon is” (nps.gov). It’s been called one of the seven wonders of the natural world. Many visitors are content to glance at it from the window of a tour bus or maybe walk the rim trail for an hour before heading out of the park.
But to truly appreciate the canyon, you need to spend time learning about it and exploring it. With the insights of Scripture, we can see how the massive amounts of water God unleashed during the Flood could have formed the canyon in a matter of days, not millions of years as evolutionists claim. It’s not just the canyon’s size which draws visitors but its dramatic beauty.
“Whoa!” will be our reaction when we see our new heavenly home for the first time. It will be bigger and more beautiful than anything we can imagine here on earth. John writes, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth.” (Revelation 21:1 ESV). It will be a wonder to explore, not just for a lifetime, but for all eternity!
Our hope and expectation,
O Jesus, now appear;
Arise, O Sun so longed for,
O’er this benighted sphere.
With hearts and hands uplifted,
We plead, O Lord, to see
The day of earth’s redemption
That sets Your people free!
Lutheran Service Book 515:4