When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
How Great Thou Art
By: Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940)
Listen to this awesome electric guitar version as you read. Subscribers make sure to check out the video log below which will guide you through a worshipful reflection of this stanza. Everyone else check out the transcript at the end.
We continue to game into God’s greatness by shifting our focus from the heavens to the earth. I love spending a couple weeks on the way God reveals Himself through creation, working from the cosmos to the this sphere on which we live. We will look at redemption and consummation in the coming weeks, but for now, let’s consider God’s glory as revealed in trees and birds. Let’s tune our hearts.
The Woods
So what do the woods in your minds eye look like? Close your eyes and allow that image to become clear. Do you have it? Hold on to it for a moment.
They are not all the same. There are many different kinds of woods. Some are so thick you can barely walk through them. Some so dense that you can hardly see the ground. Some foreboding and mysterious, others bright and inviting.
And there are different seasons as well. The same woods are not the same across all of them. In the fall, they are crisp and crunchy with the changing and freshly fallen leaves. In the winter, stark and barren. In the spring, new life bursts forth everywhere and in the summer the growth is often lush and thick.
So when you think of the woods, what kind of image comes to mind? Recall that image you created above. There will be as many different variations of woods as there are readers. The remarkable thing is that God reveals His greatness not only in the variety, but in the way each of us perceives each nuance. You are as unique as each vista of every patch of woods across this creation, and God made it all to declare His greatness. Wow!
Praise God for the wonder of the woods! The way that you can see Him in each view is a gift. Cherish it every chance you get.
Forest Glades
Through the first section we considered the variety of woods, but in this section I would like to ponder our journey through them. The first image above shows a clear path. The image here does not. This is a reflection of life.
Sometimes our wandering through creation is very deliberate and we can clearly see where to plant our foot next. It seems obvious where we are going. Almost as if a path had been clearly marked out for us. Those times are comforting and simpler.
Sometimes, often even, our wandering is slightly less deliberate and we lack confidence that we are going “right” way. The path is hidden and uncertainty creeps in. Those times can be disconcerting. Maybe there is another perspective to be gleaned from the pathless forest glades.
Rather than there being one best way to go, we are given the freedom to carve out our own path. This can be intimidating, but also exhilarating. In these moments it is truly more about the journey than the destination. We are truly able to wander, to leisurely move through the environment where God is showing off His greatness to us. What a blessing!
How does your path ahead look? Clear or unclear. Certain or uncertain. God is in them both, in the woods and the forest glades. Embrace the opportunity to wander along with Him.
The Birds
In the first stanza we heard rolling thunder. We swing the pendulum here to the other extreme, the silence of the woods broken by the occasional song of slight winged creatures. What a stark contrast, and simultaneously a continuation of the progression started in that first stanza. From silent stars and rolling thunder, to mighty tress and tiny birds, all displaying God’s greatness. But there is another aspect of the introduction of the birds I want to use to tune our hearts.
They choose to sing. God gave them this ability, but they choose to use it. And use it they do.
Can you conjure one of their songs? Or at least the feeling it evoked in you? They tend to be light and simple tunes, startling in their simplicity, beautiful in their tonality. Each bird is a marvel and each song a gift, but did you know that not all birds sing? Even if they do not sing, they still have calls that serve different purposes, like the Cedar Waxwing. Song and call alike they make known the greatness of God.
How about you? Do you sing? You can. And you certainly have something worth singing about, ie. the greatness of God. Determine to join the song of these small feathered creatures, and echo the greatness of our God.
Keep coming back and we will work to help you remove the things that may dampen your praise. We will help you tune your heart to live out your worship by providing resources like this to help you acknowledge the greatness of God as you become more Resonant, 7 days a week.
Tune-ful Tuning!
Jesus, thank You being with me when my path is clear and when it is not. I choose to walk with You wherever You lead. Thank You for giving me songs to sing to praise Your greatness. I will sing them all my days. In Jesus name. Amen.
Like what you finding here? Fill out the form to the right to get an email with each fresh post and updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.
Please comment below and share if you have found this helpful in your journey of being more resonant.
Below is content always available to Subscribers, often to Free Members, and sometimes to everyone. Want to learn more about accessing all the additional material in the Subscriber Content Library, click here, or the Free Member Content Library with some examples of the complete Subscribers content, click here.
Subscribers enjoy this video! Everyone else the transcript below!
Video 10.2 Transcript
Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
Now our attention turns to seeing God in the greatness of nature within our grasp, all which points us to Him. Whether walking along through wood or forest He stirs our hearts with praise. Recall such a stroll and thank Him for His goodness to you in those moments.
How often I have been struck by the sweet song of a bird! Have you ever noticed their songs are often louder, livelier and more frequent in the morning? But why not, their Creator has brought them through another night! Join their song of praise today in some way.
This is one of my favorite lines because mountains are such a part of who I am. I am so thankful for the moments I have stood on mountains and praised His name. Thank Him for the times you have found yourself seemingly, and figuratively, on top of the world.
There are also valleys, but God is there as well. You can not hear the ripple of the brook from the mountaintop, and sometimes God’s voice is difficult to identify in the valley. Though the topography reminds us there are hills and valleys in life ask the One who made the literal ones to carry you through the figurative ones as well.
Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.
Sing
Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, be Resonant.
Image Attributions
Woods – https://pixabay.com/photos/road-forest-season-autumn-fall-1072823/
Forest Glades – https://pixabay.com/photos/green-park-season-nature-outdoor-1072828/
Birds Sing Sweetly – https://pixabay.com/photos/bird-singer-singing-chirp-tweet-2119874/
Leave a Reply