1 Chronicles 6:31-32 — Now these are those whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after the ark rested there. They ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem; and they served in their office according to their order.

Genesis 1: 11 – 12 — Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed?bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

It is not always clear to me why the thoughts behind these devotional pieces are what they are. Recently I have more often felt the difficulties that surround us than the wonders. Today it is different. I have been reminded of the glorious creativity of God.
I am at a highly technical Information Technology conference this week. The organizers, though, are ingenious and at the end of today’s conference sessions provided two speakers with a remarkably different spin on what we do. One was Peter Olson from Marvel Comics (bringing you Spider-Man, Captain America, the X-Men and many others!). The other was Philip Sheppard, a Professor at the Royal Academy of Music, a virtuoso cellist and a fine composer. As well as brilliantly connecting music and Information technology, playing some beautiful music (it’s not often that I am moved to tears at one of these conferences), Mr. Sheppard shared some amazing facts about new-born babies. Did you know:
— Babies are born with perfect pitch?
— Babies have an innate perfect rhythmic sense?
— Babies have “photographic” memories?
Most of us, of course, “lose” these abilities. It seems they wither away, because they are not used. (In fact perfect pitch is more prevalent among people whose languages are highly intonated, depending on pitch for meaning). I have no idea what other amazing attributes we are born with, but they are a sure testimony to the glory and creativity of God.
After the conference today I went walking in the woods. They were beautiful, with more greens than I could count, vibrant in the light and shade. I went down to the small lake at the bottom of the hill, and enjoyed the swans, ducks and geese that were not the slightest bit bothered by, or even interested in, me. There was a wonderful sense of “active peace”. Everything was not still … it was in motion … but that was how it should be. I am reminded of the passage in Robert Browning’s poem, “Pippa Passes”:

The year’s at the spring,
And day’s at the morn;
Morning’s at seven;
The hill-side’s dew-pearled;
The lark’s on the wing;
The snail’s on the thorn;
God’s in His heaven—
All’s right with the world!

My walk was in the early evening, of course, but the sense was the same. All creation sang around me, and I remembered that no matter how troubled the times are, our Creator God has wonders to perform.