Verse: Romans 1:20
Fun Fact: The Grand Canyon is one of the seven wonders of the world
Favorite Hike: Rim Trail and Bright Angel Trail
Grand Canyon National Park is one of the natural wonders of the world, the second-most visited national park, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Grand Canyon is, by far, one of the most breathtaking and impressive national parks in the U.S. and probably in the world. Anyone who has had the chance to visit will probably agree the pictures just don’t do it justice.
The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and averages one mile deep. It consists of layers and layers of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks, formed over the years through a combination of downcutting, weathering, and erosion. Downcutting is the process of rivers carving out canyons. In this case, the Colorado River and some tributary streams have contributed to the creation of the Grand Canyon.
The Colorado River is one of the most prominent and powerful rivers. It is 1,450 miles long and starts in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, then flows southwest all the way to Mexico where it eventually meets the Sea of Cotez, or Gulf of California. It passes through seven states and eleven national parks.
When visiting the Grand Canyon, you can go to either the North or South Rim. The two rims are about 20 miles apart as the crow flies, but it’s a four-to-five-hour drive between. The South Rim is the most popular. It’s more accessible, has more of the infrastructure (restaurants, lodges, etc.), and is more visitor friendly for those who want to walk the rim path, which offers better views. The North Rim is more rugged and less crowded.
A popular bucket-list item for national park fans is to hike the Grand Canyon rim to rim, either north to south or south down to the bottom of the canyon and back up, depending on your logistics. This is very strenuous and not recommended in one day. Once at the bottom of the canyon, you can stay at Bright Angel Campground or Phantom Ranch Lodge. If you aren’t up for hiking, you can also ride mules down to the lodge. There are also plenty of day hikes such as the Bright Angel Trail and the South Kaibab Trail. There is also the North Kaibab Trail on the North Rim. Another popular activity by adventurers is to raft the Colorado River. If you want to do a self-guided trip, you must win a permit through the lottery system.
Regardless of how you spend your time in the Grand Canyon, it is one of the crowns of the National Park Service. Hearing people share their experiences of visiting the park, people almost always describe how small they felt looking out over the canyon, and how they felt a sense of pure awe. This is no mistake.
In Romans 1, the word tells us that we see the Lord’s power displayed through nature, and the Grand Canyon, perhaps more so than any other national park, does just that.
For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power, and divine nature. So, they have no excuse for not knowing God. – Romans 1:20
Creation demonstrates the attributes of God. This is an amazing verse of scripture, it tells us that because of the way the Lord has revealed himself through nature, we have no excuse to not acknowledge Him as Lord. The Lord made this creation to tell of his nature, to display his qualities to us.
It also tells us that even those who have never heard the gospel have witnessed God’s character and attributions through his creation. We are still held responsible. We have no excuse. Paul repeats this same idea in the second chapter of Romans. Similarly to how one is accountable to the Lord without hearing the gospel, we are also accountable to the law even if we haven’t heard about it.
For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus. – Romans 2:12-16
I pray as you visit the Grand Canyon, that you meditate on these verses and spend a moment being awestruck by the Lord’s power and the ways he has displayed that through earthly creations. This was no mistake, my friend. This was the intentional work of our Lord to give us a glimpse at his nature. What a blessing we get to experience this. I pray you draw closer to the Lord through your time in the Grand Canyon and come away with a deeper understanding of the power of our God.
The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. – Psalm 19:1-6
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