The Language of Rivers and Stars

Alistair Begg

This is unlike any book I have ever read. Seth is a great writer, and this work of poetic theology is as beautiful as it is faithful. It has impacted me to the extent that even walking in the park is a new experience—one of awe and wonder.

Ronnie Martin

With the heart of a poet and the hand of a novelist, Seth beautifully describes all that becomes too easily obscured when it comes to the mystery and majesty of nature. Prepare to be captivated anew by the profundity of God’s glory reflected through his magnificent creation. Enlighten and delight your mind! 

“We will draw near, lean in and embrace...”

Seth rightly points out that for many people, being in the natural world, surrounded by beauty, is often a way for us to feel a peace and connection to God, the Creator. So his aim in this book is to help the reader experience the beauty of creation in a deeper way, offering a biblical understanding of what God is saying to us through the world He has created.
Seth has a poetic style of writing that glides along, effortlessly explaining and unfolding the logic and theology, highlighting the beauty of the created world and the reason why we inherently relate to it. He describes the created world as God's language, His equivalent to words, written for us like beautiful prose or perfect poetry.
He weaves in Scripture to highlight that God's words, Scripture, and nature share a common language.
Seth has a lovely use of language, his words paint pictures of the beauty of creation, showing us why we are inspired by all that God has created for us to enjoy. The language of creation speaks loudly to us, telling us how much God wants us to be in relationship with Him. That is the purpose. So that we will draw near, lean in and embrace. So that we will know Him close.
One section of the book offers a chapter on each of the seven days of the Genesis creation account, which could also work well to be read as a daily devotional or even a study series for a home group or discussion group.

“Delightful”

If you are a lover of nature in any sense, you will be encouraged and inspired by this book which all point us to how nature speaks of the glories of God.

Laced with his personal experience and scripture. It’s a rich, yet easy read - particularly as the chapters are self contained, so you can pick it up and put it down whenever you wish without losing the flow… a gift to this tired mum!

I particularly loved how he used what we see in nature as parallels for the Christian walk, and how he encourages us to marvel at nature, ultimately pointing us back to the wonder of it’s source - God himself. I've always had a particular love for green spaces, often feeling like I need to be in them, and this book was so encouraging as it makes complete sense that we would crave spaces that God so vividly speaks through. ❤️

All in all, this delightful book helps us to uncover, interpret and respond to how God wonderfully communicates with us through the gift of His natural world.

Thank you for generously providing this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

“Beautiful”

Loved the way the author shows us that, with eyes to see, the whole of creation reveals aspects of God’s amazing character. But he doesn’t just root that in his own feeling but explains how the Bible ‘translates’ the language of nature so that we might better know God.

I have recommended it to friends I know who wonder at the universe and who are open to there being a Creator behind creation, and the One who came to show us Who He really is!

“A Calling to See God in Our Wonder”

I have a friend who is passionate about the natural world, who raves about the beauty of parks and lakes, and who loves nothing more than to sit and watch the birds. He doesn't do that just because those things are beautiful in and of themselves, but because when he sees their beauty, he sees the glory of God. Lewis' book reads like this, an encouragement to see creation as God's masterpiece and helping us to hear him as we listen to his creation. The creation doesn't replace God's word in scripture, but as we hear him speak through the Bible and then look around throughout our lives at creation, we see that everything in the world calls us to worship Jesus as author of salvation and king of the universe.

“The language of rivers and stars”

As Christian’s, we know the Heavens declare the glory of God. But the same heavens that rain down life giving rain, also rain down destruction. The fire that gently warms us is capable of total destruction. The beautiful ocean that calm us, has the power to sink us. So, how do we begin to understand what God is really saying to us through the natural world? Especially in a broken world where everything isn’t as it ought to be?

With compelling biblical insights and beautiful nature writing, Seth Lewis shows how to decipher the language of creation and discover God's voice. As you listen in this way, you will be led to worship Jesus with a greater sense of awe, captivated afresh by the wonder of creation and the one who made it all.

“A Gentle Invitation to Wonder”

We’ve been leaning more into nature study these last few months in our homeschool, and The Language of Rivers and Stars by Seth Lewis came to me at just the right time.

This book reads like a quiet conversation with someone who notices the world deeply. Through reflections on creation, Lewis invites you to slow down, to look closer, and to listen—not just to nature, but to the Creator who speaks through it.

It’s not a “how-to” book on nature study, but something richer. It stirred my wonder. It reminded me why we’re doing this in the first place—not just to learn facts about trees and stars, but to grow hearts that are attentive, grateful, and rooted in beauty and truth.

If you’re a homeschool parent wanting to weave faith and wonder into your nature studies, or just someone longing to reconnect with the God who made this wild and beautiful world, I think you’ll love this one too.

“As beautifully done as the cover!”

The Language of Rivers and Stars: How Nature Speaks of The Glories of God by Seth Lewis

I know they say not to judge a book by the cover, but I totally did with this one. I immediately was interested because of the gorgeous cover! And to my great delight, the content inside lived up to the beautiful cover! This book was so beautifully written with stories throughout and interesting mentions of incredible things in nature that God has created. I learned about several new things I didn't know about the earth that left me amazed by our God, like the bioluminecient plankton in Ireland. So incredible! What I loved about this book, is that the author gets you to stop and marvel at God's handiwork and then tells you how nature speaks to us about God. This book was Scripture saturated as well.
Part 1 shows how everything speaks about God

Part 2 works through each day of creation and how things like light and creatures of the sea speak go us about God.

"God's universe is not just endless creativity. It communicates truth and calls for a response- to glorify God, give him thanks and seek him."

Definitely reccomend this book. It is as good as its cover!

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book for my honest thoughts!