Handiwork

 

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.”

—Psalm 19:1 KJV

I so much appreciate “handiwork.” From her youth on, my grandmother had the reputation as a particularly fine seamstress. I own a dress she made for a toddler with the tiniest hand made button holes. I admire her talent a hundred years after she produced it.

My nephew has a business carving and painting all kinds of colorful wooden lures for salt water anglers. No one would doubt his talented handiwork.

My late sister hand painted large murals, crafted thousands of words of pen and ink calligraphy, and, with a dainty hand in the tradition of our grandmother, sewed many pillows and articles of clothing decorated with buttons and ribbons.

In the Early Church, a woman named Dorcas, a disciple of Jesus, became sick and died. Acts 9:39 records this sentence:

All the widows stood around him [Peter], crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.

All of this demonstrates to me that, just as God reveals His handiwork through the creation, everywhere and at all times, He has created humankind in His image with the same abilities to create for themselves. Creation, and all kinds of art, did not just happen for the utilitarian needs of humans. God gave humans this ability so that they could create beauty.

Just as God looked at His creation and exclaimed that what He had made was good (Genesis 1), He has allowed us the joy of creating, too. Besides that, He enables us to feel pleasure in the handiwork of others. In so doing, we derive pleasure and can offer praise in the revelation of Himself that we see in human creativity.

Psalm 8 tells us that God has set His glory above the heavens. God reveals His inherent glory. A few verses later, the Psalmist writes that God has crowned man with glory. Our glory derives from His glory. Every creature shows the glory of the Creator in some way. The more we know this great Creator-God, the more beautiful and glorious we become as His image bearers.

Thank God today for the ways in which His glory, His creative beauty, and His magnificent design, shows forth in your life and in the lives of those you know. All of this handiwork should prompt us to offer our praise and worship to such a breathtakingly glorious God.