He sends the springs into the valleys, which flow among the hills. They give drink to every beast of
the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. Psalm 104:10, 11, NKJV.
Nature and revelation alike testify of God’s love. Our Father in heaven is the source of life, of
wisdom, and of joy. Look at the wonderful and beautiful things of nature. Think of their marvelous
adaptation to the needs and happiness, not only of human beings, but of all living creatures. The
sunshine and the rain, that gladden and refresh the earth, the hills and seas and plains, all speak to us
of the Creator’s love. It is God who supplies the daily needs of all His creatures.
In the beautiful words of the psalmist: “The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their
meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing” (Psalm
145:15, 16).
God made Adam and Eve perfectly holy and happy; and the fair earth, as it came from the Creator’s
hand, bore no blight of decay or shadow of the curse. It is transgression of God’s law—the law of
love—that has brought woe and death.
Yet even amid the suffering that results from sin, God’s love is revealed. It is written that God
cursed the ground for man’s sake (Genesis 3:17). The thorn and the thistle—the difficulties and
trials that make life one of toil and care—were appointed for our good as a part of the training
needful in God’s plan for our uplifting from the ruin and degradation that sin has wrought.
The world, though fallen, is not all sorrow and misery. In nature itself are messages of hope and
comfort. There are flowers upon the thistles, and the thorns are covered with roses.
“God is love” is written upon every opening bud, upon every spire of springing grass. The lovely
birds making the air vocal with their happy songs, the delicately tinted flowers in their perfection
perfuming the air, the lofty trees of the forest with their rich foliage of living green—all testify to
the tender, fatherly care of our God and to His desire to make His children happy.—Steps to Christ,
9, 10.