Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! . . . Let them praise the name of the Lord . . . He has raised up a horn for all his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the Lord! (Psa. 148: 9, 13, 14)
Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Israel. (Isa. 44:23)
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.(Rom. 8:19-21)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
I'm becoming persuaded that world in John 3:16 means the fallen, futility-subjected creation order as a whole, which Paul speaks of in terms one would use to describe children on Christmas Eve, eagerly waiting for their gifts to be revealed. The creation, though, is waiting for something more glorious, namely, the revealing of the sons of God. God loved His world in a way that prompted Him to send his Son into it so that everyone who believes in His name will not be condemned, and for reasons I wish I understood more clearly, the trees are very excited about this.
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