My travels awoke the desire to share God’s splendor as seen through the pictures I took during my trip to H. My trip to Kona, Hawaii, impacted my faith. Check out my blog, Mental Health Rest, for my trip to Tilghman. Now, I will share how I saw God’s splendor in some of the pictures I took in Kona, Hawaii.
God’s Splendor in the Sky
I can’t let go of 2 AM, the second night in Kona. I woke up and had an urge to look through the windows. I lifted the blinds to look outside and stood in awe. I saw what appeared to be billions of stars of different sizes and flashes of brilliance! Their sparkling light filled the entire sky. I have never in my whole life, except in the movies seen so many stars cluster together. I ran for my iPhone, and 50D Canon camera and attempted to take a picture with no avail. No camera could do it justice! All I could do was to stand still and marvel at how awesome God is.
In Exodus 15:11 it states, “Who is like you among the gods, O LORD- glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor, performing great wonders? NLT. His splendor was in the stars. The heavens proclaim his glory and “the skies display his craftsmanship,” Psalms 19:1, NLT. The sky that night definitely displayed his artistry and left me with an experience I will always remember.
God’s Splendor in the Sunsets
I have experienced magnificent sunrises and sunsets in my lifetime. But there is no comparison to the sunsets in Kona. I was blown away by what I saw. The exciting thing is that the beauty of the sunset wasn’t when the sun was visible. It was when it had sunk into the horizon and is no longer seen. That is when the variations of the different colors come to life, sometimes not visible but can be captured by the camera lens. Also, each beach had its’ own unique presentation of colors. In addition, not only did the ocean display the grand splendor of God’s sunsets, but the mountains likewise did too. The radiance of the colors displayed around the mountains was a sight.
God’s Splendor on the Mountain
The front view of the house I was, faced Maunakea, a dormant volcanic mountain with a 14,000 feet elevation. Maunakea host the Keck Observatory for studying the stars and is open to visitors. From my window, I could see the top of the mountain towering over the clouds. That’s impressive, not only it was above the clouds, the observatory was also visible. But what captivated my attention was the shadows of the clouds and the reflection of the sun when it hits the back of the mountain. When that happened, I felt like something powerful was present.
God’s Splendor in Us
I am not going to show you a picture, but I want you to think about this: like the skies, sunsets, and mountains, you too are created to radiate God’s splendor. We are part of his handiwork as stated in Psalm 139: 13-14, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well, NIV.”
To conclude, sometimes I forget how beautiful God’s creation is. But when I stop and focus on my surroundings and see nature doing its work, I am move by the little details that God has woven together to display his splendor.
- Revised posted blog
