The most meaningful takeaway from my visit to Crater Lake National Park was not the memory of jumping into the lake itself, although that was a great moment of overcoming fear, nor was it the beautiful vistas now imprinted in my mind and in my photographs. Rather it was what I learned about the creation of the lake in the park film in the visitor center and how it relates to spiritual life.

Typically I’m not captivated with geological presentations of layers of rock, seismic activity, tectonic plates shifting, volcanic eruptions eons ago, etc. On some occasions those things can be interesting, but usually, right off the bat, I’m questioning the validity of the information presented when it all starts off talking about millions and billions of years ago. To the contrary I believe the earth to be rather young  and that God designed it with the appearance of age. Also I believe the earth was so violently shaken during the Great Flood in Genesis, that so many processes that would have taken, under normal conditions, millions of years, happened quickly in all the trauma.

Surely during the Flood volcanic activity was abundant. The earth, while covered in stormy waters, shifted rocks dramatically, and sedimentary layers formed quickly, burying things rapidly. Nearly every National Park in the Southwest references a time when the earth was covered in water or a massive flood. This should influence our understanding of rock layers, geology, and the earth’s age.

Anyhow, the geological park film about the physical creation of Crater Lake spurred fascination in other ways. The events that created the lake are believed to have taken place only 7,700 years ago, which would place it at right about the time of the Great Flood. I also learned that Crater Lake was actually Mount Mazama once upon a time. It is believed it stood as tall as 12,000 feet. Then it had a violent eruption spewing over nineteen miles of lava and sending ashes over one thousand miles, some landing in Alberta, Canada. When the volcano erupted it left a giant cavity in the earth, a crater, which over time filled with melted snow and rain water to a depth of 1,943 feet, making it the nation’s deepest lake. The National Park Service in their park brochure describe the volcano which created the lake as “catastrophic.”

After learning about such a “catastrophic” event, now one can step outside the visitor center and see a serene, beautiful, mountain gem of a lake. It’s pristine, vibrant blue, and so enjoyed by many. I was captivated  with the notion that something so violent and destructive resulted in something so peaceful and beautiful. There’s a deeper message here, I knew. I had to channel my inner John Muir first to examine how this concept of peace and beauty after destruction is exhibited across creation. Is it a design element consistent across existence or an isolated event? Then I could question what God is teaching or revealing to us about Himself in all this.

The preliminary probing question I had to ask was, what other destructive things result in beauty? I was immediately taken back to my days of being very sick with a trifecta of intestinal and digestive system destruction. I was battling ulcerative pan-colitis, pancreatitis, and a bacterial infection. At the time my body was withering away and wasn’t even breaking down food. I was malnourished and in extreme pain, losing blood in large amounts. My plans for the future were ripped away from me. The havoc it created in my life was real, and as the National Park Service might say, “catastrophic.” But during this whole time of sickness God was doing immense work on me, putting me through the refiners fire, creating who I am, and teaching me reliance on Him and trust in His goodness. I emerged stronger in every way, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I was also given a new gratefulness for my life, my body, and the world around me. After being confined to a hospital room, bed, or exam table, too weak to move, I was now able to climb mountains, summit scorching  sand dunes in the Mojave, jump into Crater Lake, and take in a deep breath of fresh mountain air without pain. This all brought me great joy. 

I was able to see profound meaning and beauty in life after the painful time of destructive sickness. Some struggle with coming to terms of the coexistence of God and suffering. After having been through much pain and grappling with the question myself of why does God allow suffering?  I don’t. I do not believe God brought about the pain or suffering in my life at all, but I believed he used it. He redeemed it to bring about goodness and peace in my life. As Romans 8:28 says, “God uses all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.” I truly believe God can redeem anything to bring about goodness and spiritual growth, ultimately bringing Him glory. The overall message of Crater Lake was becoming clearer. It is one of the redemptive nature of God. 

I then began to think about war, how terrible a thing it is, and how timeless it is in our fallen state of humanity. But then I considered how after war there always comes peace. We see this repeated through the ages. When right prevails there is good that follows. The destruction of war is not a good thing. It is never desired by the righteous, but eventually it results in, or is redeemed for, peace. 

We too, as followers of Christ, wage war in our own spiritual lives. We equip with the spiritual Armor of God as talked about in the book of Ephesians. We take down strongholds and defeat principalities’ weight in our lives. As it says in the book of Ephesians, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” These battles are fought violently through prayer, scripture, obedience, reliance on God, and with the name of Jesus. One may question my word choice of “violently” when referring to such things as Scripture and prayer, but yes, I mean it. I believe these are violent and effective weapons in the spiritual realm against the forces of evil. Spiritual war can be ugly. It’s sacrifice. It’s a shaking up and reordering of one’s life, but it ultimately leads to peace and a right relationship with God. 

In my thoughts I then came back to the natural world. I looked towards the mountains and thought how, per the words of the experts, all mountains are created by earthquakes and volcanoes, both destructive acts of nature. Now these mountains stand tall, unwavering, and at peace. Forest fires, too, are another thing that seemingly, on the surface, are all bad, but those destructive events are redeemed as well. The aftermath is a nutrient-dense soil and room in the forest for the next generation of plant life to grow. I have seen many-a-forest both on fire and recovering from a fire. A forest fire is ugly and can be scary but recovering from a fire, the forest floor is always decorated with flowers. There are sprouting berries and mushrooms, and new saplings starting to really take root. It’s a beautiful thing. There is peace after a ravaging fire. 

I also began to think about birth and how it is such a painful and laborious process for the mother, but out of such a mess of pain comes the beauty of new life and the peacefulness of a resting baby. Then I thought of death itself. No one wants to face the process of death. Some will die tragically. Some will fight to cling onto this world. People will grow old and suffer ailments before death, but through death God reaches down and reclaims the life of his follower. Out of the end-of-life turmoil, suffering, and human-instinctive fear, He brings about ultimate peace, as he fully restores one’s spirit in his very presence. 

Ultimately this great design element from a volcano to a serene crater lake, from a forest fire to a flowering grove, from labor pains to a baby’s sigh, from war to peace, and from death to life, all show the redemptive nature of God. The message was becoming even clearer as I realized it was then pointing us to Jesus- the ultimate redeemer. Jesus felt pain on this earth. He asked for the “cup to pass” from Him when considering his approaching crucifixion, but He then went on to endure the most gruesome of deaths and the most momentous event in all of human existence. His great sacrifice, and his own redemptive rising from the grave, conquering death, brought about the possibility for salvation and the redemption of the human soul. He paid the ultimate price for our sin, making us just and acceptable, forgiven and presentable to a pure and perfect God.  This event is so great, so important, that God has painted it across his creation. The volcanos, the forest fires, the wars, the labor pains, they all point us back to the redemptive story of Jesus and salvation. 

It’s so great because and worthy to be written in the fabric of all creation because it is only through the blood of Jesus that  we can be redeemed from the destructive forces of sin in the world and in our lives. God wants to save us eternally, but eternity starts in the present, and God is here to wage war with us, from the dark spiritual powers which have a hold on us, from our self-destructive habits, from our mental and spiritual turmoil. God saves. He will deliver and redeem. As he promises, the battle is  already won through Him.Through turning to God, accepting his forgiveness, and waging war God is helping us to be “born again.” To do so is not easy, there can be labor pains as one must leave behind his old self, but ultimately we have peace knowing God is fighting our battles with us and will redeem. I think about the violent volcano spewing lava like blood, but then I look at the beauty and peacefulness of Crater Lake and I find hope. Here God reminds me of who He is and what He does. None of the wonders of nature are without meaning. God has placed his story everywhere and wastes nothing. 

If you have not called out to God and sought his forgiveness through Jesus, I hope you do, and I urge you to. If you have not waged spiritual war,  arm up! The stakes are high. Your soul and eternity is on the line. May you feel the transformative redemptive power of His love as you come to personally know God,  and may one day your pains and trouble be replaced by beautiful crater lakes and alpine streams. 

“And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true. ‘” Revelation 21:5

If you enjoyed reading this, check out my book “Still, Calm, and Quiet“

Check out my previous entry here: “A Day’s Journey Around Crater Lake”

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