Fall Colors IV

Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. “For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. – Isaiah 55:6-12 NKJV

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; Let the sea roar, and all its fullness; Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the LORD. For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth. – Psalm 96:11-13 NKJV

This year the fall color around my part of the world seems a bit more spectacular than usual. Or perhaps it is just because I’ve waited many months to enter back into one of my most favorite times of the year. I am a bit surprised that the color has been so brilliant, since we endured record heat and dry weather this summer.

Many years ago, I spoke with a worship leader who had a rather remarkable experience in the outdoors. He and some other leaders had taken a group of teenagers to a get-together in Yellowstone National Park.

As I recall, the group had gathered at an amphitheater of sorts, and the staff was attempting to get the teenagers to settle down so they could worship. However, this “sound” kept rising all around them. At first the worship leader thought it was coming from some kids playing a prank in the trees surrounding them. But then they realized that the sound was not coming from any of the kids. And it did not resemble the breeze rustling through the leaves either, a sound called psithurism (pronounced SITH-ur-iz-m). It sounded, according to this worship leader, like the trees were actually clapping their praises to God. He said it was one of the most surreal experiences of his life. They all looked around in awe as the reality of what they were hearing began to dawn on them. If I remember correctly, the sound rose and fell in waves, and continued on for quite some time.

Wish I’d been there!

The above Scriptures are rich with attributes about God, such as His desire to have mercy and to pardon us if we will turn to Him. And one thing is certain in these uncertain times. Jesus is coming back, and He will judge the world in righteousness. If you are not sure how to get right with the Almighty God, please see Got God?

Hope you have a great day – and autumn is extra special for you this year.