Nature Devotions for Curious Kids by A. L. Rogers and Jessie Fioritto
A. L. Rogers with Jessie Fioritto
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Our Creative God
In the beginning God made from nothing the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
God made everything you see in nature. The leaves that flutter in the wind. The sunlight that feels so warm on your skin. The birds that perch on the tree branches in your backyard. God made all these things, and much more.
The Bible says God made “the heavens and the earth.” He made planets and stars, plants and trees, penguins and puppies. God made some oceans that are clear and blue, and some super deep oceans
that are too dark to see through. He made the beautiful sky full of fluffy white clouds. He made flowers you can smell from a block away.
In this book, we’re going to learn a lot about God’s creation. We’ll also learn who God is and what He cares about. Best of all, we’ll learn how much He loves us.
The first thing to know is that God made everything. That includes you! Our God is so creative.
Dear God, I can’t wait to explore the world You’ve made. Thank You for creating me too.
2 2 Animals Are Gifts
God said, “Let the waters be full of living things. Let birds fly above the earth in the open space of the heavens. . . . Cattle and things that move upon the ground, and wild animals of the earth after their kind.” And it was so.
Genesis 1:20, 24
The world is full of so many animals. There are millions of different kinds. They run and jump, fly and swim, creep and crawl all over our great big world. Oceans, lakes, and rivers are home to more than 30,000 kinds of fish. Nearly 20,000 kinds of birds fly through the skies.
What would our world be like without all these creatures? It sure would be boring, don’t you think? No birds chirping in the trees. No squirrels chattering and playing in the yard. No puppies or kittens to love and snuggle. Why not say a big “thank You” to God for every animal that you enjoy? Remember, they are gifts from God, our heavenly Creator.
Dear God, I love animals! Remind me to be thankful for each one.
3 3 Desert Wonders
“I will even make a road in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”
Isaiah 43:19
God made deserts dry, but they aren’t always super hot. The biggest desert in the world—Antarctica—is freezing cold!
You might think nothing lives in the desert, but God gave the plants and animals special ways to survive. The tiny kangaroo rat gets all the water it needs from eating seeds, and the cactus can live for years without rain because it stores up water like a giant sponge.
Have you ever met a camel with bushy eyebrows and a huge hump at the zoo? Their hump isn’t a water tank—it’s full of fat to give them energy. Camels can go seven days without a drop to drink. Then they fill up by slurping 30 gallons at once. That’s half a bathtub!
God loves you way more than a cactus or a camel, and He knows what you need. He helps the desert plants and animals get water, and He’ll take care of you too! You can trust God every day, no matter where you are.
God, thank You for loving me and taking care of me always.
44 Amazing Outer Space
The heavens were made by the Word of the Lord. All the stars were made by the breath of His mouth.
Psalm 33:6
Did you know that the sun is a star? And that there are eight planets that move around it in circles called orbits ? Earth is the third-closest planet to the sun. But the Earth and sun are still super far away—93 million miles. The farthest planet is Neptune, more than two billion miles from the sun. Space is huge!
Want to know another cool thing about space? There are more stars in the universe than grains of sand on Earth’s beaches!
God created space, just like He created animals and people. Space shows us God’s power and glory. It helps us to understand more about God and how great He is. All those millions of planets, stars, and galaxies are proof of His power. Only God could make something so big and amazing!
Dear God, thank You for making such a cool universe. You are so powerful and magnificent!
55 Nature Teaches Us About God
From the beginning of the world, men could see what God is like through the things He has made.
Romans 1:20
Have you ever thought about being a scientist when you grow up? Many scientists study nature. Some study the planets and the stars. Some study oceans and fish. Some study animals or insects. Others study plants or the weather. All these scientists do one important thing: They observe.
This means they look carefully at something. Then they write down what they see.
The Bible says nature shows us things about God. If we observe nature, we can learn more about the Creator. Did you know there are 20,000 kinds of butterflies? That shows us that God loves differences! Did you know that God created many animals, like monkeys and bugs, to live in family units? Why? Because He knows families are good for everyone—including people.
Each time you learn something new about nature, think of what it teaches about our Creator God.
Dear God, thank You for teaching us all about You through nature.
6 6 Seasons Change, God Doesn’t
“While the earth lasts, planting time and gathering time, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not end.”
Genesis 8:22
How many seasons do you have where you live? Many places have four—summer, fall, winter, and spring. Each season has its own kind of weather because our planet doesn’t stand straight up—it leans a little. Splish splash!—on hot summer days you stay cool in the pool when your part of the
planet tilts toward the sun. Winter snow falls when your part of the planet tilts away from the sun. God created our earth just right. Changing seasons give us time to grow, play, harvest, and rest.
Change can be hard too. You might have to move to a new house or go to a new school. Or maybe your dad wants you to try a new vegetable at dinner. But guess what? God never changes. He is always amazing and good. He promises to be with you through all your changes. He will never leave you!
God, I’m so glad that You will be with me through all my changes as I grow.
7 7 Who Hears Best?
“Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.”
Jeremiah 29:12
Many animals can hear better than people can. Dogs, bats, owls, elephants, dolphins, rats, even humpback whales have better ears than we do. Can you guess the creature with the best hearing of all? It’s the greater wax moth! These insects can hear some sounds better than any other animal in the world. This is good for the greater wax moth, because his great ears help him avoid his enemy, the bat.
Are you a good listener? Do you know who is the best listener of all? God! All through the Bible, He tells people to talk with Him. Talking to God is called prayer. You can talk to Him anytime, anywhere. You can pray out loud, and He will hear you. Or you can pray in your head, and God will know just what you’re thinking. Amazing, right? You can tell God anything, good or bad. He wants to listen to you, because He loves you very much.
Dear God, thank You for listening to my prayers. Thank You for loving me.
8 8 Forest Music
“The mountains and the hills will break out into sounds of joy before you. And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”
Isaiah 55:12
Have you ever stopped to listen when you’re walking through the forest? If you stand very still, you’ll hear God’s creation singing praises to Him! Birds tweet, coo, or honk, frogs croak, crickets chirp, woodpeckers drum on the tree trunks, and the leaves rustle in the breeze. Did you know that even the trees can talk? They don’t use words like we do, but scientists have
learned that trees and fungi can send messages underground through their roots. It’s called the wood wide web! They can share water and food with each other and even warn other trees if they’re being chewed on by hungry insects.
If animals, tiny bugs, and even the trees can praise God with their sounds, you can too! God loves it when all His creation praises Him. When you sing a song to God, it’s like joining His forest choir.
God, each sound of nature is special because You made it. I want to sing praise to You too.
9 9
When
Water
and Dirt Mix
He brought me up. . .out of the mud and clay. He set my feet on a rock, making my feet sure.
Psalm 40:2
When water and dirt mix, we get mud. Do you think of mud as messy, dirty, and gross? In nature, it is very useful. Mud can be used as a sunscreen. It can keep pesky bugs away. Elephants and rhinos use mud for these reasons. But for people, mud can be smelly and sticky. . .and not something fun to get stuck in.
In the Bible, a follower of God named David said sin is like mud. Sin is the wrong stuff we do that makes God sad. When David got stuck in his sin, he needed God’s help (Psalm 40:1). And God did help David.
There will be times in life when you feel stuck too. When that happens, do what David did. Call out to God! He can pull you up from your sin. . .right out of the dirty, sticky, disgusting mud!
Dear God, when I feel stuck in sin, I will cry out to You. Thank You for pulling me out.
