General News
19 July, 2026
In Good Faith: The Beauty of Nature
Recently, my family and I returned from a holiday in sunny Fiji. While we were there, I took the opportunity to do something I had wanted to do for quite some time and organised a scuba dive off the reef, close to where we were staying.
When you stand on the shore and look towards the edge of the reef, all you see is a shallow lagoon, beyond which the surf breaks into the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean.
From that perspective, however, you would have no idea of the beauty that lies beneath the surface.
Descending just a few metres into the water, you discover countless fish of every variety and size, each feeding in its own particular habitat and appearing very busy indeed.
Soft corals were everywhere you looked.
One in particular that our guide pointed out appeared to be a beautiful orange colour, but the moment you touched it, it transformed into an iridescent silver.
Elsewhere, sea turtles came almost close enough to touch, lingering only just out of reach.
We even watched a white-tipped reef shark glide effortlessly past us just a few metres below, showing no interest in our presence whatsoever.
Even the limestone walls of the reef had a beauty all of their own, forming sheer drop-offs and caves that invited exploration.
Sadly, all too soon our time beneath the waves came to an end, and we had to return to the surface, still marvelling at the beauty of this small part of God's creation.
Right from the opening chapter of the Bible, we read in Genesis 1:31 that after God had created the heavens and the earth, he looked upon all that he had made and declared, "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good".
Countless nature documentaries over the years have testified to the wonder, beauty and intricacy of the created world.
The incredible variety of living creatures and natural wonders placed on this earth for us to enjoy all bear witness to the grace and greatness of the God who created all things.
As the psalmist writes in Psalm 19:1, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands".
Likewise, the prophet Isaiah asks, "Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these?"
The apostle Paul makes the same point in Romans chapter 1, declaring that creation itself bears witness to God's greatness and handiwork, saying:
"...what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."
From the very beginning, creation has been understood as evidence of the handiwork of God.
May we not only enjoy its beauty, but also learn from it, so that we might better understand the love, power and glory of our Creator.