Psalm 19:1-3 — The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
Is it one of your favorite hymns?
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder, Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;?I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art.?Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
I love it too. Sometimes the stress of work can get to me. But when I’m smart (and I just started being smart again!) I make the effort to get out of my office and walk around the lake. I’m reminded of the second verse of Pastor Carl Boberg’s hymn, that we rarely sing or hear:
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander, And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.?When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur, And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
Psalm 19 is just one of the many places in scripture where creation is celebrated. Perhaps it is one that I love most because as a teenager I sang a hymn “The Heaven’s Declare The Creators Glory” for which Beethoven wrote the music. However that may be, I have come to see that there are three great truths in just these three verses.
First, God’s creation shows His glory. Heaven and earth show Him to be the Master Craftsman.
Second, creation pours forth it’s praise in a pouring stream. Why does the psalm say “Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.”? Not “Day and night both praise Him, together” or (as might fairly have been said) “The infinite variety of day and night shows His creative genius” but “Day speaks to day, and night to night”. The idea being expressed is the continuous flow of praise without disruption — day is stitched to day, and night is stitched to night, so that the worship is never disturbed.
The third great truth is that as well as creation’s celebration of God’s glory being uninterrupted, it is universal. There is no place in all the earth where the voices of day and night cannot be heard. This is why Paul says in the letter to the Romans:
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: (Romans 1:18-20)
Paul’s warning is solemn.”Take notice”, he says, “of your surroundings. They will show God at work. Take notice, and have faith.”
As for me, I am truly grateful for God’s creation. It is His provision to me of all I depend on, and a refreshment to me whenever I need it.