I like writing about butterflies and the wonders of water and light, but to do so right now in the midst of wars and misery seems more like someone avoiding reality and escaping to some fantasy world; it doesn't seem professional. At least I didn't think so-until I realized that focusing on God's creation is exactly what brings me comfort in the midst of a painful, broken world.
Psalm 121 begins with, "I lift up my eyes to the hills-where does my help come from?" I had always pictured a person from the Bible looking up to the mountains for help. Maybe they expected someone to come from the mountains with something to meet a need, such as an army troop or a benevolent relative with a bag of money.
I couldn't figure out why they would look to the mountains if they already knew that their help came from the Lord. Yet, I remember that comforting feeling that I experienced throughout my years in Wyoming and Montana, when I looked across the valley to the nearby mountains and knew that they held something special.
Today, as I watch the trauma unfolding in the news, I turn to my mountain memories. They are like an anchor to my soul. I remember that Someone made our beautiful world and that Someone has a plan; He even died to bring redemption and a pain-free life for eternity to those who will turn to Him.
I read the rest of that verse in Psalm 121 and saw the connection. "My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth."
It is okay to look to the mountains and notice the different pines, spruce and cedar. A grove of aspen shimmers their leaves while birds and chipmunks call to each other. Fish jump to snatch insects in a nearby pond, while Indian Paintbrush decorates grassy meadows with splashes of red. Clouds pour over high peaks like waterfalls, while clear streams rush over rocky streambeds. It is good to breathe in the clean air and reflect on the issues of life amidst the soft sounds of solitude.
I no longer live near the mountains, but I enjoy my memories. I remember a friend in Saskatchewan going to Alberta for the first time. I could hardly wait for her to come home, so I could hear her glorious description of the glacial peaks in Banff.
Instead, she came home upset. She had felt claustrophobic; she couldn't see anything because those mountains were in the way. After that, I no longer felt sorry for prairie people. They enjoyed their endless horizons! They could probably write that they would look to the fields for their help. Our Creator certainly made the fields as well, and all of us enjoy the fruit of the fields.
The key to it all is to come close to the Maker of heaven and earth. We can read the words He gave us in the four Gospels. Sometimes, especially when we feel shaken by what is going on around us, it is good to read the words that Jesus spoke. We are reminded that He knows evil is in the world, and we are also reminded of how He sent the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth, comfort us, and encourage us to follow Christ on His path.
I feel better when I have something to do. His Word gives us instructions on how to be about our Father's business. I feel better after browsing through Matthew and John and thinking of our intricate creation. Like 1 Timothy 1:12 (KJV) says, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day."
Sue Carlisle grew up on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. An enrolled member of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, her passion is to encourage people to look at creation and see
our awesome Creator. Sue is author of Walking with the Creator Along the Narrow Road (see https://www.indianlife.org/store/page/2/). She and her husband, Wes, now live in Thunder Bay,
