The Big Picture
Sometimes when I am seeking inspiration, I turn again to the book of Job, and especially to Chapters 38 and 39. In magnificent poetic language, the writer makes it clear that he (and it probably was a ‘he’) fully understands that God is the creator and the sustainer of the Universe. It is a big picture – the glory of the heavens, the power of nature, the interdependence of living things – presented as a glorious cascade of awe and wonder, combined with a sense of inadequacy felt by the human observer.
Earlier in the book, human exploitation of the Earth’s resources is illustrated by mining for precious metals but we cannot find wisdom down the mine. Wisdom in the Bible starts with loving and worshipping God which includes caring about what God cares about. It matters that the balance of nature is being disturbed by climate change, it matters that people are being driven from their homes by rising sea levels, it matters that oceans are poisoned and polluted. It matters because it matters to God. So, when we make decisions relating to sustainability, ranging from details of lifestyle, to social or political action and to prayer, let us also hang on to the big picture.
John Bryant