”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,”
Psalm 19:1-4, NIV.
One of our teaching pastors is known for his reusable phrases: “Get ready to mark this passage up!” and “Remember to take a few deep breaths before you pray.” And one of my favorite phrases: “Go ahead and read and reread the passage many times this week; sit with it.”
Recently I did just that, thinking, “I kind of got it the first time through. I'm not sure what else I can glean from it.”
Isn’t it great when God takes the challenge? When He shows up to enlighten His words for us to understand meaning upon meaning upon meaning? It’s humbling—arrogance does that—yet as soon as I breathe and repent of my lack of faith, joy takes root and I am captivated by what lies in front of me—God’s Living Word!
Psalm 19 is no exception!
I was blown away by the fact that nature proclaims God’s glory! In this day and age where evolution is the hero of the story, God points us to the very nature that was supposed to be made after years of trial and error and random chance. And nature chooses to sing for God!
God tells us that these created plants, animals, and stars speak of His glory! How does a star communicate? How does nature speak out?
The apostle Paul was said to have ascended into the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2), which implies there are two other heavens. Where are they?
I was taught that the first heaven is where birds fly, the second heaven is where the stars and other celestial bodies reside, and the third heaven is where the full glory of God waits for His children—where the souls and spirits of man (yes, and their new bodies) will spend their forever years with Him.
If it weren’t for the birds in the air—first heaven—man who was made in the image of God, and who is naturally curious and creative, wouldn’t have the opportunity to be motivated to seek out how birds fly. But because the first heaven is filled with our winged friends, man asked the question, “Can we fly too?” Hence birthed the airplane.
Birds spoke/communicated with man, “Now you see me. Be inspired!” And we were. Okay, they were. I can’t contribute to the reason for flight except as a paid passenger upon a metal bird.
The second heavens brought man even more creativity and motivation: “To seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before!”
If I have to credit this to Star Trek, we are indeed on a different page. Needless to say, we want to know what is up there!
In fact Job 38:7, “(where were you, Job…) while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?" Commentators before 2012 suggested that this verse might be attributing the stars singing to angels' singing, but something beautiful happened.
VICTORIA WOOLLASTON-WEBBER - Jun 7, 2016
"By measuring tones in this 'stellar music' it is possible to determine the age of stars.
One of the oldest known clusters of stars buried within our galaxy has been caught 'singing' by astronomers in Birmingham.
The research team, from the University of Birmingham's School of Physics and Astronomy heard resonant acoustic oscillations of stars in 'M4'…."
Stars sing. Job mentioned it thousands of years ago. Man being man, trying to explain prematurely what actually needed time to discover, made their own plans. But God directed their steps! And now our commentaries are corrected.
Nature is indeed communicating with us: Watch an apple fall—law of gravity. See a rainbow—God’s promise to Noah that He will never flood the earth again. Genesis 9– we also discovered light and color fragments!
Nature aids man in the discovery of who God is! God set it up that way.
So, why do we fight so hard to disprove God? Why do we think nature is on the side of men? It will always be on the side of God. It knows its Creator.
So, whose side are we on?
Father,
Reading and rereading Psalm 19, has been a gift! Thank You.
Thank You for what You have created! Thank You for showing us time and time again the power that nature holds and who it represents. It shouts for You!
Help us, man-made in Your own image, to shout for You as well.
You were there at the beginning, and have been with us every step of the way. How good and great You are to us!
Your majesty is mighty.
Your creation praises You.
Your love for man is as deep and wide as the heavens themselves.
Thank You for being perfect, and never missing a step.
Thank You for the gift of nature.
We praise You for who You are.
Amen.
Amen!
“If the stars were made to worship, so will I.” ❤️