You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
ISAIAH 55:12
Springtime may come a bit late to the mountains, but it’s a vibrant, busy season nonetheless. If there was snow, the streams rush, swollen with snowmelt, and ravines flood with the seasonal runoff. New growth emerges: grass, wildflowers, leaves, and soft new needles on the evergreens. Bears waken. Caterpillars appear. Squirrels chatter, birds build their nests, and everyone is out looking for food. Soon baby animals will be born, including spotted fawns on spindly legs. Everything is new and noisy and fresh.
It’s so fitting that we celebrate Easter in the spring, because Jesus rising from the dead is the ultimate rebirth. When Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey just days before His crucifixion, a whole crowd of disciples called out, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” and “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” The Pharisees wanted Jesus to silence them, but Jesus replied that if they were quiet, the stones would cry out (Luke 19:37–40). People may forget, but the earth knows who its Lord and Creator is.
What will it be like when the hills and mountains sing and the trees clap their hands? Romans 8 says, “The creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God” (v. 21). If our world is this beautiful now, imagine how stunning it will be when all is restored to God’s vision for His creation!
O Lord, my Creator, thank You for making our world so delightful. I can’t wait to see it when You bring it to full redemption!