Recently, I took a trip down Virginia's beautiful Skyline Drive with my two granddaughters and their friend. I always enjoy driving down the Drive, which meanders through the Shenandoah National Park. The views are spectacular, no matter what time of year, but especially in the Fall. One can see views from approximately 1,000 to approximately 3,000 feet in altitude and take in mountains miles away and farms, homes, and other buildings on the Shenandoah Valley floor to the West and the Piedmont of Virginia to the East. From time to time, various kinds of wildlife can be seen, including deer, groundhogs, squirrels, vultures (buzzards), and other birds. Crows are common, and I think I once saw a raven. Black bears also live in the area, though I have not had the privilege of seeing one near the Drive. The mountains and valleys are resplendent with green vegetation in the spring and summer and beautiful colors as the leaves change in the Fall. Even in the Winter when the leaves are gone and the trees are barren, the views below are spectacular. Year-round, one can take the trip and enjoy the lights of the many homes in the Valley and the homes and businesses of the town of Front Royal.
What did I see when I took the slow trip down the Skyline Drive? While the construction of the road was ordered by President Herbert Hoover and carried out by President Franklin Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the scenery and wildlife were created by the direction and work of a much greater creator than those men and the hundreds of hardworking construction workers who brought us the scenic drive. That Creator is the Almighty God.
The great emancipator, leader, judge, lawgiver, and author, wrote by divine inspiration in Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Moses continues to record the creation of the beautiful plant and animal life over six days of creation. On the sixth day, God created man. God created the beautiful heavens and earth for us to enjoy and benefit from! In Nehemiah 9, the Levites prayed a beautiful prayer to God in which they included these words:
You alone are the Lord. You have made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them, and the heavenly host bows down before You.
What did I see when I journeyed with my granddaughters and their friend down the Skyline Drive? Rather, who did I see? I saw God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth.