I love how deeply pairing is woven into the natural world. Not just the supposed ‘pairing’ of dock leaves and nettles, but the way in which so many things come in twos, whether for balance, survival, or fundamental physics – from the pairs of eyes, ears, and nostrils the Lord has given us, and which provide stereoscopic vision and directional hearing, to the two kidneys and lungs that provide vital backup should one fail.
There is a God-inbuilt symbiotic mutualism that bonds pairs of distinct species so that they rely on each other for survival—like flowering plants and their specific pollinators, or fungi and algae as they form lichens. Chromosomes likewise exist in pairs (one set from each parent), just as DNA itself forms a double helix using complementary base pairs.
In our own lives, too, we experience the God who not only opens doors for us, but who in His mercy closes others in His love and wisdom. He grants us seasons of intense wrestling – but also times of rich ‘nestling.’ Rest and work, night and day, the pairings are everywhere; each is different, but each has its own role to play, and all are linked.
Pairs are a feature of biblical poetry. The opening verses of Psalm 19 are an example of this ‘parallelism,' pairing the heavens with the skies, and declaration with proclamation; just as day is paired with night, speech with sound, and voices with words.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
Without speech or language,
without a sound to be heard,
their voice has gone out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4)
in this parallelism, the one half of the pair invites the other; sometimes fulfilling our expectation, and sometimes taking us aback with an unexpected counterpoint. In Him, all things hold together: light and darkness, heights and depths, the truly ginormous and the microscopic.
We have used a similar technique to craft this celebration of the magnificent riches of God’s character and the the riches of the world He has created. The exquisite music is Steve Jones’ arrangement for string quartet of the opening moments of Mahler’s fourth symphony, which is thought to depict a child’s vision of Heaven. One can hear in it a walk through the countryside, in broad views across a lake, or alpine meadows.
Thank you, Grace and Jonathan Lee on violin, Cathie Muncie on viola, and Corinne Frost on cello for helping us to take great delight in the sights and sounds of God’s beautiful world!
God of Heaven’s High Domain,
Who delights to dwell with the lowly;
God of raging, running waters
God of quiet, reflective lake and pool,
God of mountain panorama
and God of darkest valley;
God the first and God the last,
Three in one, and one in Three;
God of nurturing peace,
who stirs and spurs us into action.
God of awesome holiness,
Who leads us with sweet hilarity.
God of might and mystery –
Gentle Shepherd who will not break a bruised reed.
God of narrow, ancient paths:
Who leads us along highly unorthodox trails;
God of utmost joy and ecstasy:
God of war and Man of Sorrows;
God who crafted our intricate inmost being,
tune our ears to catch the nearness of Your presence and the nowness of Your Word.
Let our hearts beat in time and tune with Yours.
