Creation – the wonder of God’s creation manifested in the amazing variety of plants & trees & all forms of vegetation that cover the earth – Gen 1:11-13(Ps 19:1-6; Roms 11:33-36):
Genesis 1:11-13*** – 11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day”. Hebrews 11:3(1,6).
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The beauty of a tulip poplar bloom & the uncommon beauty of the design & function of its commonseed pod – Ps 8:3:
This tulip poplar seed pod is just one example of the ever present “uncommon” beauty of the multitude of “commonplace” elements of God’s glorious creation, present everywhere as the manifest creative handiwork of God, as His word declares, for His glory &, as His beloved children, for our blessing & enjoyment – Job 37:2-13; 38-41; Ps 19:1-6; 33; 104; Roms 11:33-36; I Tim 4:3-5; 6:17; Js 1:17*.
Job 37:2-13: 2 “Listen closely to the thunder of His voice, And the rumbling that goes out from His mouth. 3 “Under the whole heaven He lets it loose, And His lightning to the ends of the earth. 4 “After it, a voice roars; He thunders with His majestic voice, And He does not restrain the lightnings when His voice is heard. 5 “God thunders with His voice wondrously, Doing great things which we cannot comprehend. 6 “For to the snow He says, ‘Fall on the earth,’ And to the downpour and the rain, ‘Be strong.’ 7 “He seals the hand of every man, That all men may know His work. 8 “Then the beast goes into its lair And remains in its den. 9 “Out of the south comes the storm, And out of the north the cold. 10 “From the breath of God ice is made, And the expanse of the waters is frozen. 11 “Also with moisture He loads the thick cloud; He disperses the cloud of His lightning. 12 “It changes direction, turning around by His guidance, That it may do whatever He commands it On the face of the inhabited earth. 13 “Whether for correction, or for His world, Or for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen.”.
How humanly incomprehensible, apart from the saving, sanctifying, illumining grace of the Holy Spirit, is our Father’s wondrously glorious uncreated, always existent, sinlessly pure, transcendently Sovereign infinite intelligence, creative power & majestic Holy beauty as manifested in this, what most men would dismiss as an “unattractive” tulip poplar tree seed pod – a dead, dull brown, unattractive, unimpressive, soon to be naturally composted seed pod. But in actuality what are we looking at?
First, to see this little seed pod as unattractive is to miss the beauty & delicacy of its overall beautifully composed design – the beautifully layered, pointed tips of each overlapping seed. To see it as dull in color is to miss the beauty of the subtle wondrous diversity of browns & tans & beiges & soft creamy hues.
Secondly, to see this little seed pod as unimpressive is to miss the wonder of what happens via the wind – (Liriodendron tulipifera produces a large amount of seed, which is dispersed by wind. The seeds typically travel a distance equal to 4–5 times the height of the tree, and remain viable for 4–7 years. The seeds are not one of the most important food sources for wildlife, but they are eaten by a number of birds and mammals.)
Winged seeds must be lifted above the canopy by updrafts to have a chance(opportunity) of further dispersal in high velocity horizontal winds aloft or in landscape-scale convection cells. Shear-induced turbulent eddies of a scale up to one-third of canopy height provide a lifting mechanism. Seeds may take advantage of “Bernoulli sailing” (Bernoulli’s theorem, also called the Longer Path Explanation, explains lift in terms of high and low air pressures on either side of the sail. Imagine the front of the boat angled upwind, or into the wind. … This difference in the pressure on the sails acts as a forward suction, producing lift.) to move with faster than average winds (Gen 8:1; Ex 10:13,19; 14:21; 15:10(“You blew with Your wind…..”); Ps 135:7; 148:8; Mk 4:39,41; 6:51). Elasticity of branches and trees may play a role in regulating the release of seeds into unusually favorable winds. Most wind-blown seeds fall near the parental tree. Long-distance dispersal is rare. Entry into the long-distance phase depends more on the characteristics of the winds encountered than on intrinsic differences between seeds. Wind is a common dispersal agent of seeds, but it is also well known that the roughness structure of the ground surface strongly affects wind conditions at the surface level. Thus, landscape structure can strongly influence deposition patterns of wind-dispersed seeds.
Psalm 135:7: 7 He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; Who makes lightnings for the rain, Who brings forth the wind from His treasuries.
Psalm 148:8: 8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
Exodus 15:10: 10 “You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters.”
Mark 4:39: 39 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the winddied down and it became perfectly calm.