The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (Psalm 19:1, NIV)
Part of the beauty of golf is just that, its beauty. We play on fertile grass, sometimes under tall trees, sometimes along coastal waters, sometimes across nasty ravines or flowing rivers. What a game!
The fact that we can appreciate such wonder makes us unique among God’s creatures, as far as we know. A brain that distinguishes between the fugues of Bach and the chamber compositions of Haydn is rivalled only by a mind that picks up the tones and meters of Keats’ verse. If indeed other creatures are captivated with such awe, we will probably not be surprised to discover this on the other side of life. But for now, let’s consider where our own stunned reactions take us. For they should take us to God.
Through the stars and the moons, through the clouds and the rain, God tells us how grand he is.In the opening chapter of Romans, Paul wrote that because of the qualities of nature, “people are without excuse” when it comes to recognizing God as the one behind them. Of course, only recent generations like our own have posited alternate ideas, born of science. This is not to dismiss science. More than once, the excellence of scientific understanding has been the very thing God has used to save my life! But when science claims creation for itself, or for accident or eons, it misses all that matters; it misses the Creator.
David, in writing Psalm 19, not only said that creation’s grand wonders show us God, but that they declare his glory. Through the stars and the moons, through the clouds and the rain, God tells us how grand he is.
Sometimes it can be difficult to define God’s glory. What exactly is it? His worth, his power, Isaiah’s vision of his raiment and angelic attendants? But when we look at a dark sky hung full of stars and say Wow!, we begin to understand his glory. It is the amazing aspect of all God is. Or maybe we should say it is the visibly amazing aspect of who God is, for he is, we know, entirely amazing. This is why Isaiah was driven to his knees.
When I was a far younger man, working in the mountains below Yosemite instead of playing golf in the summers, I spent time with a songwriter who captured much of Psalm 19. His lines for its closing verse went like this:
May the words of my mouth
And the meditations of my heart
Do the same thing for thee
And a witness be
To the glory of God (Sonny Salsbury)
This “same thing” is to declare God’s glory. The heavens and the skies teach our words and meditations what they should be doing: Giving glory to God. Showing him off in his splendor to those around us. Spreading words of faith in the God of wonders.
—
Jeff Hopper
November 18, 2019
Copyright 2019 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.