“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge.“
Psalm 19:1-2
Atheists, I suppose, rule out evidence for God’s existence a priori. They have no belief in the supernatural. No afterlife. No deity. That is their perspective; I don’t judge them. My own view is that God exists and is talking to us all the time and in a myriad of ways. He shows up in both the big and small things of life. Through the telescope but also the microscope.
And what about the world we see with the naked eye? The Bible tells us that God’s “invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made” (Romans 1:20).
Pablo Picasso, perhaps, was thinking something similar when he said: “God is really only another artist. He invented the giraffe, the elephant, and the cat. He has no real style. He just goes on trying other things.”
A few days ago, I was taking my daily walk here in Jamaica (where my wife, Cheryl, and I like to winter). As I walked along, I heard (and saw) birds singing. Trees and flowers rose up to greet me, and the sun warmed my face. A gentle breeze blew down from the surrounding hills, touching me on the shoulder like a good friend. I heard a child across the way singing happily. A cat accompanied me for a while then veered off to other pursuits. I could go on and on with my description. But you get the idea.
Bottom line, the afternoon walk brought deep peace to my heart. I felt a part of something—something grand and beautiful. Something divine. Someone was speaking to me as I walked along. I believe it was the God of love.
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways, wrote Elizabeth Barrett Browning at the start of her “Sonnet 43.” It’s a lovely poem, especially when you realize that she wrote it to her husband, the poet Robert Browning, and also when you realize that she never expected to count all the ways she loved Robert. She loved him too much for that!
What shall we say then when it comes to loving God? Can we count the ways we love him? I cannot. Nor can I count the ways he loves me! I just know his love is real and that he “utters speech” and “reveals knowledge” day after day and night after night.
Perhaps this is what lies at the heart of my filmmaking. I cannot count all the ways I love God, nor can I make a film covering everything there is to know about him. But I can skim off the top as it were; I can take the strains of his daily “speech” and “knowledge” and share my thoughts and impressions with others. It’s my contribution, I suppose, to the heavenly symphony God conducts day in and day out, world without end, amen.
From his perspective, my efforts must be akin to the child who folds a paper airplane and tosses it into the air. “It flies! It flies!” the child cries in delight. And that’s me. But never mind. I’ll keep on creating. I’ll keep on believing. I just may have something in common with Pablo Picasso and God, too. “I’m another artist and I go on trying other things.”
Which brings me to some wonderful news. We’re delighted to share with you that Daniel’s Garden, the documentary follow-up to Let Me Have My Son, is now available on Amazon! I hope you’ll watch it for your own enjoyment and edification but also to show your support for Messenger Films. And while I do this seldom in these monthly newsletters, I’m going to ask you to also consider a tax-deductible donation to Messenger Films. We could use the help.
In the early days, when I prayed about starting a filmmaking ministry, God gave me a name—Messenger Films—and a verse from his Book, 1 Chronicles 16:24: “Declare his glory among the nations; his marvelous deeds among all peoples.” Ironic, perhaps, that we should take my dear son’s devastating mental illness to declare the glory of God, but so it is.
And we give thanks.
God is speaking, my friends. He who has ears to hear let him hear. “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out” (Romans 11:33).
And so, dear friends, as they say in Jamaica: Walk good!
P.S. Today, April 6, is Daniel’s 42nd birthday. Perhaps you’d like to send him a greeting? You can do so by emailing Daniel at info@messengerfilms.com.
