And all of God's creation...

The past few mornings I've taken my "quiet time" out-of-doors. Normally I sit in my glider chair in my bedroom, with my bookshelf and Bibles on one side and an end table loaded with tablets and books on the other, and have my morning devotions. It's a peaceful time that I truly enjoy and truly miss if I skip it in a rush to get out the door.

But the last few mornings I've gone out to our deck to enjoy the brief coolness of the day, knowing the sweltering heat will soon keep me inside. I love to watch the many different birds that dart from tree to tree or zip across the sky. I love to listen to the songs they sing as they start their day. The cry of the mourning dove are my favorite. When we first moved into this house fourteen years ago, their mournful song was the first sounds I remember hearing. A pair of Cardinals visit our yard often, chirping to each other. Of course the symphony would not be complete without the famous Texas Mockingbird with it's various songs. It's actually fun to listen to one sing, trying to count how many different calls he gives before he repeats one. The other morning a tiny hummingbird added the hum of his wings to the chorus until he stopped to perch in our Mesquite tree, a favorite of his. I've seen this tiny guy there often and marvel at how small he is. Then...Zoom!...off he goes, faster than the wind itself! My backyard squirrels, as I call them, scamper across tree branches and down my boys' old wooden fort, uncovering treasured pecans only to move them to a different location in the yard.

Sometimes I get so caught up in watching and listening to nature I forget why I'm out there, which is to spend some time with God. But He is there. He's there in the beauty of the oak trees, the gnarled Mesquite, the gorgeous Chinese Pistache. He's in the green grass. In the yellow Lantana--the only flowers I can't kill! He's there in the birdsong and in the flutter of their wings. He's there in the deep blue sky and the white fluffy clouds. Yesterday it was raining. God was there in the wonderful wetness, in the thunder, in the lightning.

One of my favorite songs these days is "The Revelation Song." If you're not familiar with it you can click HERE to listen to it. But in the song it has this line:

"With all creation I sing praise to the King of Kings."

And you know, that's exactly what creation does! Every time a bird sings, it's doing what God created it to do. Every drop of rain, every blade of grass, every blooming flower. All creation, doing what it was intended to to, gives praise to God!

That is my prayer. That, with all creation, I will sing praise to the King of Kings. With my life. With my all.