By Katy Mariotti

The Joy of Creation

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?  Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements– surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”
Job 38:4-7, English Standard Version

I have to be honest with you, I’ve never enjoyed the book of Job.  In fact I kind of avoid it.  It’s hard to understand, first of all.  I also find it stressful.  Job loses everything he possibly can, as a test?  Is God going to test me that way?  I sure hope not.

But part of our readings at church this past Sunday were from chapter 38 of Job, and I was struck by the passage, particularly of the morning stars singing together and the sons of God shouting for joy.  It reminded me of The Magician’s Nephew, from the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, when the lion Aslan sang Narnia into existence:

“In the darkness something was happening at last. A voice had begun to sing. It was very far away and Digory found it hard to decide from what direction it was coming. Sometimes it seemed to come from all directions at once. Sometimes he almost thought it was coming out of the earth beneath them. Its lower notes were deep enough to be the voice of the earth herself. There were no words. It was hardly a tune. But it was beyond comparison, the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. It was so beautiful he could hardly bear it.”
The Magician’s Nephew, C.S. Lewis

Sometimes I get a little grumpy in the fall.  I don’t like the days getting shorter.  I don’t like how busy everything gets.  I don’t like how it can go from freezing cold to sweltering hot in one day.

But then I remember to look up at God’s creation and stand in awe (as I did when I snapped this picture of Pikes Peak).  Awe not only at how wondrous and amazing it is, but also at the fact that God created the Heavens and the earth, and He made me and my loved ones too.  He created us as humans with emotions, even difficult ones, and Job reminds us that God is bigger than any hard emotion we have.

Don’t forget to stand in awe today at our big, joyful, amazing God!

Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado