The Language of Rivers and Stars
The Language of Rivers and Stars: How Nature Speaks of the Glories of God
By: Seth Lewis
[On my list of Most Anticipated Books of 2025]
“Nature gave the word ‘glory’ a meaning for me. I still do not know where else I could have found one.” —C.S. Lewis
If you are not already a nature lover, this book just might turn you into one. And if you already feel the wonder when you sit in nature, this book is going to strike all the right chords!
I knew the Bible talked about a variety of nature-related things, but I feel like this book illuminated a lot of those passages (and more) for me in a new way.
If you’ve heard of the Rosetta Stone, you might know that it was discovered in the 1799 and broke open the Egyptian hieroglyphics for understanding. The stone showed the same message in hieroglyph and Greek (and another language) side by side. Because we (not me) knew the Greek, then we (not me) could understand the hieroglyphic script.
Brilliantly, Seth Lewis applies that understanding to the reality of God’s creation. He says God has two languages: nature and his Word. Our Rosetta Stone, the Word who became flesh, is Jesus.
Psalm 19:1-4 tells us that nature is speaking to us, constantly pouring out speech. Romans 1:18 says that God’s attributes can be clearly seen in his creation. We can understand a lot about God by looking at nature. But because we have Jesus and God’s Word, we can interpret it correctly.
“God did not have to speak to us. He communicates because he wants to reveal himself. He gave us his word and his world to invite us to know and relate to him. He gave this invitation in two languages, and the completeness and clarity of the language of Scripture has not diminished our need to hear God’s voice in his creation as well. Scripture itself is filled with references to God’s world— from mountains and stars to sparrows and wild flowers and the morning mist that evaporates in the rising sunshine. God never intended for us to choose one language and ignore the other.”
Why do we experience awe and wonder at the roaring waterfalls, majestic mountains, the infinite stars, the unique array of creatures? Because we were created to. We are the only created things that notice and are mesmerized by its beauty.
“God could have started speaking to us only with words like ‘I am powerful, and I can provide for you’…what is power? What is provision? By making a sun for us, God gave us the ability to understand what he means when he says these words.”
In this wonderful little book, Seth takes the seven days of Creation (including the day of rest) and looks at how each thing God created communicates something to us about who God is and who we are. (There are more than seven chapters because he focuses in on multiple things from certain days.)
For each chapter he talks about a personal experience he had with the particular thing in nature and then he has three sections: discover, interpret, and respond. Discover reveals some really interesting or amazing things about the topic, more like scientific facts; interpret looks at what the Bible says and what truths are revealed; respond is the application, the ‘what do we do with this information’.
“[God’s creation] communicates truth and calls for a response— to glorify God, give him thanks and seek him.”
As human beings we are also unique in that God has given us the ability to respond and communicate with him about his creation. Plants and animals aren’t crafting songs about its beauty or replicating the sunsets with watercolors or sharing the wonder of the mountains with their friends. And they aren’t thanking God for his creativity and glory and provision. We can.
I won’t tell you all the takeaways from each day of creation— because I think you should read the book for yourself— but I will give you a little taste with a few that I particularly liked.
When he talked about light he commented how people will often say to ‘find the light inside yourself.’ But he points to lightening bugs and bio-luminescent creatures and says that if God wanted to create us with light inside us, he could have. But he didn’t.
“Which means that the physical reality we need to interpret is not actually our inner light. It’s our inner darkness. What is God saying to us by making us rely on light as an external rather than an internal reality? (Ps 19; 119:130; Jn 8:12)”
He explains photons a little bit which is just a wild thing to think about in and of itself but he continues, “To have light, you must open your eyes. You must receive what is given from another source… Jesus came as the source of all true light.”
God also communicates this to us by creating the sun— the source of light— and the moon— the reflector of the light. We were made to receive and reflect the light from him.
In another chapter he talks about seeds:
“Seeds hold a power that we, with all our progress and technology, have not been able to replicate: the power of life.”
“He placed the most precious gift of all— life itself— in the smallest, most unimpressive of packages and scattered it everywhere…”
“his glorious eternal kingdom begins and grows like a seed (Mt 13:31-32) All of its growth comes through a message, scattered in the world like seed sown in a field, with the power to grow in the soil of our hearts and to bear abundant fruit…”
“This seed will break your heart. Its roots will push down and slowly shatter the rocky places inside you— your selfishness, your pride and anger and lust and greed and vanity. And as it grows down, it will also grow up, sending shoots into the air and filling them with the aromatic flowers and delicious fruits of God’s Spirit (Gal 5:22-23)… This is how we receive true spiritual life and how we grow: we come to him and remain in him. (Jn 15:5)”
I noticed some overlap in this chapter with the book I’m reading about growing in Gratefulness (Gratitude) and the theme of that book incorporates a lot of analogies and language around planting and roots and growth and cultivating. There is a lot to reap from this chapter and it’s really applicable to navigating life in God’s economy.
“How does the outdoors move us so deeply and have such power to make us feel more alive, more connected, more rested and content than any technology or device we’ve been able to invent—even though it is so often wild, unpredictable and threatening? Nature stirs us with sunsets, calms us with steady waves and terrifies us with power. We hear it. We feel it. We sense it communicating, and something inside of us responds naturally. Innately. Even if we don’t understand the language. This conversation—between us and the world—happens whether we want it to or not.”
Recommendation
“If all of creation is the orchestra of praise, then we are the choir. We are the tongue, the voice of all things, the directors of music, the soloists and singers, the poets and scribes.”
Of course I would recommend this book. Come get your sheet music and join the choir, listen to the orchestra of praise God has given in creation.
I could see myself revisiting this book every summer (when I’m in nature most) and sharing these things with my kids.
Seth Lewis articulates so well things we probably sense every day but don’t know what to do with. He reveals our Rosetta Stone and connects us to the source to interpret what God has made plain. It will make you feel awe, and thankfulness, and stability, and hope.
Even the storms and droughts tell us truths we need to know.
Seriously. Pick up this book!
**Received a copy via Good Book Company in exchange for an honest review**
This book just released May, 2025. You can order a copy of this book using my affiliate link below.
Share this book review to your social media!