Hiking on Gnarl Ridge in Mt. Hood National Forest, Oregon

God has His eye on the wilderness, on the times and seasons, on the happenings in the wide open meadows and hidden forest glens.  Nothing goes unmissed from His eyes, both in human affairs and in what we might call the “natural world”:

A sea star in the Punchbowl, Oregon

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care… not one of them is forgotten by God.” (Matthew 10:29, Luke 12:6)

A heron near Strawberry Point in Olympic National Park, Washington

In every place on earth, God sees what is happening.  He’s watching as the streams tumble down their channels in the mountain meadows, as an eagle swoops down upon the sunbaked plain, as a snake swishes through the tunnel of grass, as the spider spins its web between two pine trees, as a shell is washed up on a deserted beach by the incoming tide, as a rainbow stretches from horizon to horizon over a desert canyon.

Spider web across the trail en route to Heliotrop Glacier in the Mt. Baker Wilderness of Washington

Nothing is missed by the eye of God.

Tower Bridge formation along the Fairyland Trail, Bryce National Park, Utah

So it is natural for us to also look deep into the things that He made.  Our eyes aren’t as skilled as God’s, but we can still examine and appreciate the big and the small things that He made.

A sea gull on Floras Beach, Oregon

Perhaps it is sitting on the side of Mt. Shasta and having our eyes drawn to the tiny wildflower at our feet, no bigger than my pinky nail, yet intricately formed.

A pussypaw on Mt. Shasta along the Brewer Creek Trail, California

Perhaps it is standing on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean and watching in awe and wonder as the waves crash among the sea stacks and sea arches.

Sea stacks at Glass Beach, California

Not one thing, whether we notice it with awe or overlook it in simplicity, goes unseen by God.

Arch in the Bisti Wilderness, New Mexico

If God has the time and the resources to watch the tiny wildflower on the mountain, to observe the spider weaving its web, is it a crazy thought that He also has the time and resources to see everything in the sphere of our own little world?

Hiking the trail to the Horse Camp on Mt. Shasta, California

How would we live life if we realized that God notices the person who cut us off in traffic this morning?  What would we do if we lived with the assurance that He cared about not only what we ate for breakfast, but also that the orange juice ran out?  What if we realized He knows and hears every intonation of our coworkers’ voices toward us?

Along the Linkins Lake Trail in Colorado

As the song goes, “You’re not far away, You come in close… There’s no heart unseen, there’s no space between You and I”. (source)

Gumplant flowers at Point Reyes National Seashore, California

God is that close to the wilderness, and He is that close to us.  It’s not something we’ve earned; we are His creation just as much as the majestic mountains; we are made in the image of God.  And while sin has separated mankind from God, He is “near to all who call upon Him” (Psalm 145:18).  His nearness is not a condition of our prayer or our call in the moment; He is near because we have called to Him for salvation.  He is near right now and always and forever because you are a child of God.

More Related Posts:

Like Plants, God Came to Give Us Life Abundantly God’s Extravagance in the Wilderness Recognizing God’s Works Prepares us for God’s Move Seasons and Faithfulness A Pure Form of Acceptance The Fruit of the Spirit in the Wilderness