I read about an old man who was sitting on the creek bank fishing when he was approached by an inquisitive young boy. The boy asked, “Mister, can anyone see God?” The old man looked wistfully into the setting sun and said, “Sonny, it’s getting so I can’t see anything but God.”

I had a similar experience recently while vacationing with the family on the Outer Banks. I had awakened early and gone out onto the porch swing with a cup of freshly brewed coffee. From my vantage point on the swing I could see over the dunes to the sea. The sun had not yet risen. As I sat there sipping my coffee, time passed and a soft glow appeared on the horizon where it intersected the sea. There the sun rose as if from the sea itself, a little at a time until it was a full orb, illumining both sky and sea with the vibrant colors of sunrise.

As I sat there and took it all in, I thought to myself, “How can anyone see this and not believe in God!?”

Whether a sunrise over the sea or a sunset over the mountains, the artistry of God is there to see and appreciate. It’s awe inspiring.

The psalmist is so right, “The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies, yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world. The sun lives in the heavens where God placed it. The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end.” (Psalm 19:1-4,6. The Holy Bible, New Living Translation)

Looking at a sunrise or a sunset, “Praise the LORD,” I tell myself. “O LORD my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and majesty; You are dressed in a robe of light.”  (Ps. 104:1-2a, NLT)