The Heavens Declare the Glory of God - Iguazu Falls, Brazil

I've had several experiences in my life that make me pause and think: "The heavens really do declare the glory of God."

The first was the total solar eclipse of 2017. (Kind of hard to beat the sun being replaced by a black hole.) But visiting the Iguazu Falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil certainly comes close. 

Getting to the falls was quite the process. Our whole group piled into the van and drove over the border from Paraguay to Brazil—they didn't check our passports for some reason, so it didn't take too long—and arrived at the Iguazu Falls National Park. 

All we had to do then was take a taxi or bus up to the falls themselves. And, despite several transport mishaps (including a taxi driving one group back to Paraguay instead of to the falls by mistake), we made it to Iguazu. 

Iguazu Falls is the largest waterfall system in the world. Though it isn't the highest, there are 275 waterfalls on the cliffs—and if you see it in person, the sight goes beyond any pictures. 

A trail took us down the mountain, zig-zagging through the beautiful wildlife. The canopy of trees above us turned all the light green, and the air was pleasantly cool. Some people started laughing up ahead as they saw a monkey. 

Finally, the trail opened up to a huge overlook, where I got my first glimpse of a waterfall. 

Guys. It's gorgeous. 

I'd never seen a waterfall before, and I wasn't fully prepared. Honestly, I don't think anything could have prepared me. The picturesque beauty of the waterfall system surrounded by cliffs, the misty rainbow hovering in front of the rumbling cascade... it takes your breath away. 

There are a couple options for waterfall hikers. Go up to a nice safe observation deck where you won't get too wet, or go on the trail directly in front of the Devil's Throat. 

(Not making that up. It's the name of the largest waterfall, and there's a walkway that takes you really close.)

Obviously, Edy and I chose the second. Why would we be safe when we could be wet?

And wet we got. Instantly. We were still pretty far away from the waterfall itself, but it felt like someone had turned a hose to the mist setting and was spraying it all over us. 

You're supposed to get plastic ponchos to keep you dry. 

We did not. 

We got wet.

But it was worth it. On the walkway, we were close enough to the falls that it was difficult to hear anything over the noise. There was nothing but a slippery railing in between us and the torrent of water. It felt surreal knowing that I was so close to something that could easily kill me. 

The waterfall almost felt alive. Like the pounding was its heartbeat, and the mist was its breath, and the river was its lifeblood. I wanted to reach out and touch it, but it was too far away. (And it would probably have ripped off my arm.) 

The only thing I could think about was how truly awesome God is. 

Waterfalls are extremely powerful. We can't control them; the best we can do is harness their power for electricity, but there's no way we can stop the flow. Getting too close is a death sentence. 

But God holds the waterfalls in his hand. All 275 of them. 

And he's far, far more powerful than they are. 

In Psalm 19, David expresses a feeling very similar to what I felt at Iguazu. "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork."

The heavens declare the glory of God. And so do the waterfalls. 

Nature has a way of reminding us of what we forget: that God is big, and powerful, and good. It strips away all the limits that we build for ourselves, with our buildings and our houses and our electronics and our jobs. 

It strips them away, and reminds us: "God is bigger than you." 

I mentioned the total solar eclipse in August of 2017. I remember staring up at the sky, tears streaming down my face, and I remember how it felt like I couldn't hold in the wonder that I felt. God has control of the heavens. 

This is something we need, I think. We need to be humbled, and we need to be shown that there's beauty in the wild.

We need to be reminded to worship. 

Iguazu Falls is one of these reminders. It shows us that God is powerful, and it shows us that we are not. 

Isn't that worth remembering?