Baby Blue Polka Dot Stingray
I was crying. A tear rolled down my cheek, but I was not in pain and nobody died. I was standing in front of a baby blue polka dot stingray, shedding tears. My husband and baby were in the distance, pressing their faces against the glass of another tank, scaring the upside-down jellyfish while I stared at this amazing creature. It was not my first or third time that day visiting the aquarium. Once you gain entry, you can come back until they close, and after taking a power nap in the car while I ran errands, our daughter insisted on returning to see the fish again. This was my fourth time seeing these magnificent creatures that day, yet the emotion was as raw as the first time. Why was I crying? The answer to that question was a question: What kind of God makes creatures big, and small, and cute and weird looking and all different colors? A baby blue polka dot stingray? What kind of God takes the time to create such a creature? The detail, the creativity, and the sense of humor God must have. Upside-down jellyfish?? Really LORD? I was crying because God is Good!!
Psalm 107:1 says, "Oh, give thanks unto the LORD for He is good." It took a good God to design these incredible sea creatures. God is awesome! He is amazing! He is incredible! If He took the time and the care to make these creatures so unique, what does that say about how much He cares for us, the ones He created in His image? Everyone can appreciate a nice sunset, a crystal-clear oceanfront, and scenic views, but we take for granted that everything... everything good we see in this world is evidence of a good, good God (James. 1:17).
The more we know about God, the more we should be in awe of Him, and the more we should give Him praise. David constantly praised God, not just for His acts but also His character. “One generation shall praise Your works to another and shall declare Your mighty acts. I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty and Your wondrous works. Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, and I will declare Your greatness. They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness and sing of Your righteousness” (Ps. 145:4-7). “They shall gush with the memory of thy great goodness” (Charles H. Spurgeon). Our reaction to God’s works, His creation, and His goodness should be pouring out from us through tears of joy and our praise, and if this is our reaction, why would we not share it with others?
Who is God? David thought about this question carefully. He studied the character of a God who could and would do such great things, and what he found was a loving, kind, thoughtful, merciful, wise, compassionate, and majestic God full of grace. He found a God who cares about having a personal relationship with every one of us. David sang praises to God because he searched and found that God is good. "Oh sing unto the LORD a new song; for He hath done marvelous things" (Psalm 98:1-2).
God deserves our praise for what He does but more so for who He is. It is only because of who He is that He does what He does. It would be a mistake only to admire God’s creation. There should be a natural path from admiring God’s creation, enjoying His blessings, being rescued by His salvation, to then getting to know who this God, the Creator of all things, is. When we witness the acts of God, His goodness in our lives and creation, we should naturally wonder what kind of God could or would do such things, and then we should investigate. Investigate the Word of God to find out who He is. The things that you often take for granted, He is indeed responsible for all of those things and more.
The more you read and study God's Word, the more you will learn to appreciate Him for who He is, laugh at the things He created to make you smile, and recognize that His creation, providence, salvation, plan for your life, plan for the ages, is worthy of our praise. When you see the obstacles in your life work out for the good, when you see provision, providence, protection, mercy, and grace, know that His wisdom, His majesty, His kindness, His thoughtfulness, His compassion, His plan, His love, is responsible for all that, and then some. The next time you see an upside-down jellyfish or a baby blue polka dot stingray, think of His goodness, meditate on it, and give Him the praise.
