Day 31: Psalm 19

Take a moment to read Psalm 19:1-6.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth. Now take a moment to read Psalm 19:7-10 The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.

If you place the above side-by-side, this Psalm is telling you the two places you can always find God. One is in the Bible, the other is in the heavens. I’ve explored this over the last couple of posts, but it’s so sweeping in the Psalms I really want it to sink in for myself and for you. He starts by telling us that the Heavens declare the glory of God, and then the Bible tells us the same. The world is filled with speechless speech according to Psalms 19. In the words of John Updike, the creation is “supernatural mail” that we are to be reading. He goes on to describe the world as “decisive but illegible.” There are two types of revelation here, one is revealed through the Word, the other is revealed through the world, both seen with our eyes. At the same time, we can’t have one without the other, both types of revelation are needed to bring about transformation. Notice how he concludes:

Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:13-14

He has two responses to what has been revealed, both in verse 14. One response is words. He speaks of a kind of person he wants to be when he’s read the Word of God. It has revealed his faults. The second, he has a meditation in his heart. These are the two responses. When we read God’s Word, we should speak a word of prayer to God. How often do we read the Bible and are moved by the Spirit to want change? Say it to God. On the other side of God, when we have encountered the “decisive but illegible” in creation, it should cause a silence and a meditation. We might call this wonder. We are moved beyond the ability to speak.

Look for moments today in God’s Word and in creation to speak a word to God about who you want to become, and also look for a moment to be silent and filled with wonder at the sight of a sunset.

Jared