In my opinion, there is no closer a place to God than the great outdoors. I have never felt closer to God than when I have looked over the Blue Ridge Mountains. There is a moment of breathlessness in which you realize that you are so small and the world is so big. And it is all created by God.
The Bible specifically tells us who nature belongs to. Psalm 95: 4-5 says:
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
This is repeated time after time throughout the Bible. We are constantly reminded that God not only commands all, but He also created absolutely everything. When I go outdoors and take a hike or drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, I am witnessing the creation of an Almighty God.
God created the natural world for several reasons. First and foremost, He created it to draw glory to Him. But He also created it to bring us closer to Him. The night that Jesus was arrested, he prayed in the garden, in the midst of God's creation, and in that space had a face to face encounter with God. And we can do the same. The reason I have never been closer to God than when I was in the middle of His creation is because I am His creation as well. While the world around us is beautiful, nothing is more wonderfully made than us. God created the world and then put us ahead of nature.
When I look at a mountain stream or see a deer in a field, I see God. I see God because I know that only He could have created so magnificent and amazing a thing. John Muir once said that "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul." God uses the outdoors to revive us and give us strength. It is a single, lonesome moment with God, surrounded by God.
My encouragement is to go find God. When the world closes in on you and evil seems to be running rampant, head for the hills. Go find a place that you can talk to God without interference. Even if you don't exactly believe in God, go find somewhere to sit and listen. When we listen, God often has this way of speaking. Look at the view in front of you and ask yourself if it could have just appeared. I would argue that while some would say that the world is molded and shaped by a huge explosion and millions of years of change, God actually molded every single mountain, designed every forest, stream, and waterfall. He formed the very world in His own design. And he wants us to enjoy and cherish every moment we spend in it with Him.
