But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. The Message Romans 1:19-20
As I am reading Romans getting a general idea of the flow of the book, this passage jumped out. In god's work of creation, He has made Himself known in a general way to all mankind. Paul says just look around at nature and you cannot help but understand that a person much more powerful and intelligent than ourselves created. Use your eyes and you will see. but, what about those of us who are blind. I want to explore that a little here.
If you were to stumble upon a village of people who were all blind how would you interpret these verses to them? With what words would you use?
Are we to conclude that those who cannot see are excluded from Paul's declaration? Or to put it another way, can God be "seen" with other senses? If the eye can observe creation and see God can the ear, nose, fingers, or tongue?
Can the ear hear the surf rolling into the shore, the clap of thunder, the stillness of new snow falling in the forest, Beethoven's third symphony, the quaking of the aspen, the lone bugler playing taps, or the cry of a new born child and Say "there is no god."
can the nose smell the fragrance of the rose, the aroma of chocolate chip cookies, the smoke of the camp fire amongst friends, the newly cut Christmas tree, or the freshness of the air after a spring rain and Say "there is no God".
Can the fingers touch the smoothness of silk, the warmth of wool, the softness of a baby's skin, the coldness of a mountain stream, the hand of a loved one, or can the face feel the warmth of the sun and "Say "there is no God."
Can the tongue taste the perfectly grilled steak, a hot slice of freshly baked bread, a cold slice of watermelon, an orange picked fresh off the tree, a cup of coffee first thing in the morning, or homemade chicken and noodles and "Say "there is no God."
Solomon says in Proverbs 20:12 that God made both the ear and eye. I believe that we can infer from this that God also made the nose, tongue and hand. He gave us five senses to experience His creation. Each one of our senses is given as a gift from god. he wants us to enjoy His creation and learn about His magnificence via our senses. Each sense can open our mind and emotions to say "There is a God."
I had the privilege of working at a camp in California for blind children in the late 1970's. One week the camp was dedicated to deaf blind children. Let me tell you, that was one of the hardest weeks of my life. I was responsible for one child 24x7. there was another child, David, who was truly amazing. he was able to move around the camp freely with little assistance. He could also sign and receive sign by feeling the fingers of the signer. One day I noticed him playing with the telephone outside a lodge. He knew what it was for as he was making noises into it. We taught him to do a flip off the diving board by picking him up and flipping him into the swimming pool. After three days or so, he did a flip by himself off the diving board.
David was missing two of his senses and yet he engaged his world just fine. God used that experience of the week to show me that even those with less functioning senses than I can engage His creation and know of Him.
Let me encourage you today not only to see that God exists but to hear, smell, feel and taste that He exists and that His creation is wonderful beyond our wildest imagination.
As the Psalmist says "taste and se that the Lord is good" Psalm 34:8. May I add hear, feel and smell that God is good.
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