1.2 Trillion Trees

God is the only one with power and dominion over the earth.  In order for man to have dominion or authority over the earth it must be given to him by God.  This is what happens in Genesis 1.26 and 28: God gives man dominion over the entire earth and everything that lives therein.  Man is over and above every other creature on earth, and has been given authority and power by God to rule over it.

Just think about it: the whole earth has been given to you by God to use, enjoy, and care for.  There are several hundred billion stars in our galaxy alone, and God gives them all to you to enjoy.  There are more than 1.2 trillion trees on the earth, and God gives them all to you to use and enjoy, and to flourish by using them.  There are 2.16 million species of animals on the earth (although about half of them are insects!), and they’re all yours for you to use, enjoy, and flourish.  There are more than 33,000 species of fish to use and enjoy.  There are 117 million lakes on the earth that are for your enjoyment.  All of it is yours, given to you by a creator God who made you to be like him, and to rule over his creation with his own authority.

The gravity of this reality was brought home to me when I first hunted Alaska.  We were hunting for brown bears on the Aleutian Islands.  We first flew to Anchorage, then took a much smaller prop-plane to an island.  From there, we would fly individually in a Super Cub bush plane to our hunting camp in the middle of a valley, surrounded by mountains. 

To say I was nervous about flying in the bush plane is an understatement.  I don’t have any particular fear of flying, per se, but I’ve never found flying in any size airplane to be enjoyable beyond the novelty of the experience.  I don’t like roller coasters or amusement park rides, nor am I drawn to experiences that are related to speed or heights; I’m somewhat averse to risk when it comes to my physical well-being.  So even though the flight in the bush plane was relatively short (about 20 minutes), I wasn’t looking forward to it. 

When it was time to board the plane, I was given instructions on how to get in.  I pretzeled my six-foot, three-inch frame into the plane.  When I was fully inside, I wondered where the pilot would sit, as it seemed that my carriage completely filled the interior of the plane.  But a small seat was pushed back in between my legs, and the pilot climbed into it.  He was practically sitting in my lap.  The plane began to taxi, and in less time than I realized was even possible, we were in the air. 

I expected to hate the flight, but the exact opposite is what occurred – I loved it.  The flight was smooth and free of bumps or dips (this was no doubt due to the weather conditions and experience of my pilot).  But the best part of the flight – by far – was the view it gave me of the land below. 

I don’t know at what altitude bush planes fly, but it can’t be more than a few thousand feet – at least that’s what it seemed to me.  We were high, but not too high, as we just barely came over the tops of the mountains we flew by.  But that height was enough to give me staggering views of the wilderness below: snow-tipped mountains, lakes and streams, animals scurrying about on the soft tundra that covered the ground.  It was incredible. 

During that flight I was overcome by a sense of unworthiness for the wonderful gift that God has given me.  God made these mountains for me.  He made the lakes and streams for me.  He gave those animals to me.  I certainly didn’t deserve the experience of seeing creation from that vantage point, let alone the blessing of being able to experience and enjoy it firsthand, or even to rule over it with God’s own authority.  What an incredible gift!

Excerpt from "A Glorious Arrangement: Christian thoughts on hunting, fishing, and creation" by Joel Detlefsen