Intimacy with God in Creation

16 January 2026

Written by Ruth

“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.They have no speech, they use no words;no sound is heard from them.Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,their words to the ends of the world.” Psalm 19 vs 1-4

Day and night the heavens and earth give first hand witness of the existence and magnificence of God. The glory of God is displayed in the world He has created and the Word He spoke. Although the heavens have no words, our world “…does not merely exist as a life support machine to enable our existence. It is a message. It is the art gallery of reality, speaking as loudly as possible in the language of colours, textures, ancient stones, and living scenes… God’s language is deep.”¹God’s creation is universal and in it His “invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature - [are]... clearly seen”. Romans 1 continues in verse 20 to say that men are without excuse, as there is no one who cannot behold the glory of God in creation around them. We cannot claim ignorance as a defence against our sin because creation reveals His existence and we are accountable to Him when we encounter what He has made.

My personality needs peace

With these biblical truths as a foundation, I want to try to respond to what I see in the natural world with the words that God has given me; my vocabulary is limited when faced with the imagination and brilliance of His creative expression. In any personality typing system that I have completed, my dilemma is the search for perfection. I have a longing for a true, just and moral world. That is why creation is such a help to me; however marred by the Fall, nature points us to Eden. Whether I am out in my garden pruning roses or crunching leaves under my feet in a forest, I have the space to cultivate cheerful serenity and patience and not remain a frustrated idealist. If you know me, you will understand why being intimate with the God of creation enables me to be in recovery from perfectionism, be at peace with my passion for fairness and find deep rest and peace in God’s bounty.

Sanctuary

The dictionary definition of the word “bliss” is “perfect happiness; great joy”. We named our narrowboat Bliss. It is 40ft of pure blessing. We have had this boat for 8 years and it has been an oasis, resting and healing place for my husband and me in our ministry at TFT and in community living in our house. We come to the boat moored in a marina throughout the year, often just sitting and sleeping on it to relieve exhaustion, finding it a space where we can pray and read without having to talk to anyone, and a place where God has met us and enabled us to encounter Him without constraints of time, commitments or responsibilities. Without this gift, I can’t imagine being able to work at the job I do or care for the people who live with us.

Solitude and silence

“We need to find God and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence…We need silence in order to touch souls.” Mother Teresa.² Separating myself in nature is becoming more and more vital in this world of activity, deadlines and noise. I retreat to the boat to find spiritual and emotional connection with God, recognising my own sin and need for forgiveness, gaining mental clarity and balance and renewed strength for what God has called me to do.

Wonder leads to worship

Canal building in Britain was an immense feat of engineering in the early days of the Industrial Revolution. Barges brought coal, iron ore, limestone, salt, textiles, clay and wood around the country. Families would live onboard, with a horse to pull the barge along and move through the locks, negotiating tunnels by the man lying on the side of the boat and walking it along the walls with his feet. If we expand the definition of intimacy with creation to man-made construction³, then travelling the canals fills me with the awe of human capability. Used more for leisure now than transportation, the legacy of design, function and survival in harsh conditions enables me to appreciate that I can be amazed because many others have toiled. What talents and strength God has bestowed on every human being! I cannot help but give Him praise and honour. It is difficult to forget His benefits in worship when faced with such engineering.

Every time we travel on the boat, people turn or gather on the towpath to watch as we sail past, normally a cup of tea in hand, waving and greeting onlookers. We invite friends on board for the day and also the occasional parent and child hop on to experience the physics behind a working lock. The canal system in Britain is unique and wonder-filled.

Water as life

I’ve always been drawn to water, either to the sea, rivers or lakes. God created seas on the third day; they are a testimony to His power. Canals are different in that they are channels with contained water from rivers and reservoirs and for me that brings fuller intimacy with God. I see that He holds tides in place and oceans stretch out of sight, yet the gentle rocking of the boat and the fact that the flow of water is measured shows me that God is in ultimate control over nature. I know how small I am, which humbles me. The symbolism of water in Scripture is of divine provision, life and destruction. God has life and death in His hands, but despite His grandeur and might, He still chooses to have a relationship with me. He knows my name. He knows every hair on my head. He answers my prayers.

Slowing down

Bliss’s average speed is 4mph; the journey from Chester to London and back is 6 weeks. I live 10 minutes away from Liverpool by car. It took us 10 days to arrive at the Albert Dock by boat. Calming the mind, breathing deeply and muscle memory activity is inevitable. For me hearing and engaging with God is so much easier when time seems slower, when I only need to concentrate on steering in a straight line or sitting in the cratch (the covered area) on the bow and when all around me is reminding me of the One I love.

Dependence awakens trust

John 1:3 says, “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” The work of His hands surround the boat. A bird book we bought usually comes off the shelf on every trip. Sparrow hawks hover over cornfields, mute swans territorially protect their young, grey herons, always alone, fly in front of the boat, as if to herald our arrival, coot couples top and tail their ducklings as they travel in line, a very rare sighting of a brilliant blue kingfisher startles us.
Willowherb, loosestrife, yellow iris and meadowsweet abound. Blackberrying and damson picking are my favourite pastimes. We sail slower in the boat to pass fishermen (and the occasional woman) reeling in chub, roach and tench. Cows and sheep sink in the muddy banks to drink. Just as the sparrows are fed and the lilies are clothed in Matthew 6:25-30, I do not need to be anxious. He cares about the smallest details. I know that my life is upheld by a faithful Creator.

Creation reflects God’s character

Sunsets in our marina and “on the cut” (travelling or living on the canal) are legendary. It’s like God is saying directly to me that He is constant and provides. The sun comes up and goes down, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23. The rhythms of the seasons are defined – in winter the canal water can freeze into ice and we are stuck, in summer the umbrella is erected or we are a harsh target for the sun at the tiller. We are woken by combine harvesters reaping the wheat and corn in September, donning our waterproof trousers in spring showers. The cycles of nature are slow and deliberate, the patience of God in the process of growth, renewal and rest is reliable. His timing is perfect. I know I am blessed with a boat. I can feel God near to me on it. “God dwells in His creation and is everywhere indivisibly present in all His works…He is transcendent above all His works even while he is immanent within them.”⁴But creation is all around us – the first public park in the world was built in the ship building, industrial town of Birkenhead. Look to the skies, sit on grass, walk down a muddy track in wellies. God communes with His creation anywhere.