By Rebekah Hamley
I always feel closest to God when I’m in nature.
And on my hike in the Hunua Range, New Zealand, I felt His presence all around me. Life has thrown many challenges these last couple months and my future is full of unknowns, but as I explored His magnificent creation, I was reminded that the God Who created it all, loved me beyond measure. As beautiful as His creation is, God’s love is even more so.
He created and cares for the world and every living thing in it, so how much more does He care for us?
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
-Matthew 6:26
While life is so uncertain, one thing is: God loves us so much, and He will never abandon us. No matter what happens in the coming days, months, or years, God is in control. And He will give us the strength to overcome any trial that comes our way.
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
-Isaiah 40:31
As I reached the top of the range, and I saw the view in the picture above, I started crying and laughing at the sheer joy of God’s love and beauty. There was a particular quote from a song that my friend’s band wrote that stood out to me in that moment:
God of the mountains, God of the sea, all I see is Your glory. You are my refuge,
You’re all I need, and I know You know me.
You are all I expect.
-“Expectations” by Convent Bonfires
I’ve been able to see God’s glory all around me in the mountains of New Zealand and the seas of Australia. He has been my refuge during my time here and provided all I needed. He is all I expect and so much more. I know that with God by my side and fighting for me, I can face anything life throws my way.
Rebekah Hamley is the daughter of former missionaries and was born in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. She is completing her degree in environmental science through Bethel University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During a recent break from her studies in Australia, she spent a week in New Zealand.
https://bekahhamley.wordpress.com/2018/05/01/god-of-the-mountains/
