When I see all you’ve made, Lord, I sing “Hallelujah!”

Just look at the rain and the rivers and all the animals refreshed by them!

Just look at the grass and the grain and all the creatures nourished by them!

Just look at the sun, the sea and the stars and all the life enriched by them!

Your creation leads me to celebration.

The more I see of what you’ve made, the more I just have to say, “Hallelujah!”

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Lord, you are good.

Your love never runs out.

Your loyalty never runs dry.

You are our creator.  We are your creation.

You are our shepherd.  We are your sheep.

Because of you, we shout for joy.

We sing with smiles.

We worship with gladness.

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There is none like you Lord!

Such splendor and strength!

May all the earth sing to you:

the families of the nations,

the fish of the sea,

the fields brimming with crops,

and the forests filled with creatures.

May your whole creation become a chorus whose song is you.

May my voice join creation’s chorus in praising you today.

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We’re jumping for joy.

We’re shouting and singing.

We’re absorbed in adoration.

Why?

Because this planet is in your hands.

You made it.

It belongs to you.

And because your people are in your hands.

You made us.

We belong to you.

No matter what problem your planet or your people face, both are held securely in your hands.

Lord, I’m so full of joy that I’ve invited the Grammy winners to record a new song to you. 

I’m so full of gratitude that I’ve asked the world’s symphonies to play a concert for you.

What’s prompted this praise? 

It’s your unfailing love. 

The love I find in your word.  Every letter in your word is a love letter.  Each sentence beats with your passion for your people and your planet.

The love I find in your plans.  The world superpowers may propose hate and violence, but you always propose compassion and care.  Evil and wickedness try to take the day, but your adoring ways ultimately win the day.  

The love I find in your presence.  Like a lifeguard, from your vantage point you see everything in our lives.  Nothing slips past your watchful gaze.  You always stand ready to dive in and rescue.

Your unfailing love.  That’s why I’m singing today.

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Your world, Lord, amazes me. 

When I gaze at all you’ve created, it speaks.  Your masterpiece shouts aloud that you painted it.  Your works prove that you are glorious. 

I witness your sunrise, sunset, and everything in between and stand in awe.

Your word, Lord, amazes me. 

When I read all you’ve written, I am refreshed.  I become wise.  I gain joy.  I find insight. 

I’d rather possess your word than the most lavish luxuries.  I’d rather dine on your word than on the most perfect pastries.

Lord, the simplest things lead me to believe that You are a majestic God:

The way the sky glows at sunrise and sunset. 

The way children express joy without restraint. 

The brilliance of the stars and the moon. 

The invitation you extend for us to help nuture and tend all you have made. 

I cannot help shouting that You are a majestic  God!

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There’s plenty of bad news from around the globe today.

But when I step outside I can’t help shouting, “Hallelujah!”

Because you sprinkle the rain to quench our thirst.

You grow lush grass for hungry cattle. 

You deliver lunch for the birds.

You spread fresh-fallen snow like a white wool blanket.

You decorate with frost like Rembrandt decorates with paint.

I watch the world around me and shout, “Hallelujah!”

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In Chapter Five Wright asks what God’s purpose for creation is and how the resurrection fits into that purpose.  First, he lays out two popular options for answer the question about purpose.

Option 1 is called “Evolutionary Optimism.”  EO argues that the world is getting better and better.  It is the myth of progress perpetuated especially by politicians and secular commentators.  Rooted in the Renaissance, EO argues that the human project will continue to grow and develop, producing unlimited human improvement and will march toward a utopia marked by prosperity.  EO, however, cannot adequately deal with the reality and problem of evil for three reasons: 1) “it can’t stop it: if evolution gave us Hiroshima and the Gulag, it can’t be all good.”; 2) even if evolution led to utopia, it would be a utopia built on the suffering of millions; 3) it underestimates the power of evil.

Option 2 is called “Souls In Transit.”  SIT, borne from the Platonic rejection of matter, suggests the world is getting worse and worse and we need to eventually escape from it.  It argues that we were made for something quite different, “a world not of space, time, and matter, a world of pure spiritual existence where we shall happily have got rid of the shackles of mortality once and for all.” 

Wright shows that most Western Christians, in fact, believe a “soft” version of SIT–we are “just passing through” this world and on our way to a better place.  The world is “at best irrelevant, at worst a dark, evil, gloomy place, and we immortal souls, who existed originally in a different sphere, are looking forward to returning to it as soon as we’re allowed to.”  This, however, is contrary to biblical teaching.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/EmergentVillage/~3/Crl-nj05yhg/how-to-be-a-spiritual-person

What do you think?  How do you connect with God?