The stars here are absolutely brilliant. The Milky Way galaxy is strewn across the sky and dispels my prior expectation of pressing darkness. At night the whole delta comes alive. A choir of frogs joined by thousands of crickets, and a multitude of unique bird calls. This place is saturated with life, and as such it whispers, screams, and sings of the glory of our God.
Job 38:31-33 “’Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs? Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?’”
Mornings with the glory of a sun that explodes our night into brilliant water color light. Flowering trees, brightly colored leaves, and the cold blue of the delta create a landscape that inspires awe of the Almighty God.
Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
And the animals! Giant elephants thundering across the roads and through the trees, hippos splashing and grunting in the night, and warthogs disappearing into the tall brush, all make Botswana a mouthpiece for our Lord. The prints of lions that can pass behind you and before you without ever being noticed remind us of the power of our God. His strength, His power, His creativity, His love of beauty, His majesty, and His brilliance are all clearly displayed here. His kindness and mercy allows us to stand on the bank of a mighty river, with billions of stars overhead, and listen to hippos making their way across the delta. When we are still enough and quiet enough to sit in awe of our God’s creation, He tells us through every bird call, each individual star, and every ray of warm sun light of all that He is.
