Sometimes a message can be heard loud and clear without any words being spoken. Moms and Dads have a way of looking at their kids that can communicate volumes of information. Great disapproval and exuberant approval can be telegraphed with a single look. No one has to teach the kids what those looks mean, they seem to just be able to pick up the meaning. Those who are in love also can pick up messages without a single word. The glance across a room, the squeeze of a hand, the placement of the hand on the lower back, the wink.
We live in a world now where communication is less and less auditory. We read and write BLOGs, email, IM, txt msg, tweet, instagram. We can look at a picture someone posts and have it communicate deeply. Our own pictures, captured in moments of enjoyment, bring up memories that need to be shared.
Our psalm begins with an instagram from for the LORD. It is able to be read by everyone around the world. At least it can be read if people would bother to lift up their eyes from their smartphones. It begins in a very profound declaration: the heavens declare the glory of God. There is no ambiguity here, no politically correct skirting of the truth. The author just says it like it is. Isn’t it refreshing! Don’t you wish all communication were this clear, this direct.
So creation tells us certain things as outlined in these verses. Creation, specifically the stars and other objects in the sky, tell us about the glory of God, His greatness and power. To put it another way, the heavens tell us that we are very small and weak. We are not as important as we might lead ourselves to believe. When we see the stars and galaxies, and realize that the LORD is the One who made them all, our natural and proper response should be one of worship and humility before Him.
Despite the fact that the heavens are continually declaring the glory of God and a vast amount of knowledge, so many just miss or dismiss what they hear. They would rather inflate their own importance and knowledge. Humility does not come easily. So why do some hear and understand the message that creation declares? I think it comes down to receptivity. If people aren’t ready to receive, they can’t hear the message being broadcast. If they aren’t tuned in to the right frequency, if they aren’t willing to click on creation’s link, they can never receive the truth of the message.
Even the consistency of the movement of the sun says something about the faithfulness of the LORD. The sun’s movement, described here in very poetic language, is predictable. It has a normal course, one that can be tracked and seen. Just like the rest of the heavenly bodies, the sun speaks of the glory of God. The movement of the sun is heavenly business. The LORD takes care of that. It is beyond our realm of responsibility and control. And He has set that in place so that the sun provides the energy needed to sustain life here on planet earth.
The delicate balance of all the needed elements for life is staggering. Each of these elements in this balance declare the LORD’s hand in this world and in life itself. There had to be this perfect balance or the life the LORD created here on earth would have failed to survive. The sun’s movement is one of those important pieces in this complex set of interactions. They all speak of the relationship He has with this place and with us.
So we can look at the heavens and listen to their story, a story of the glory of God and His providential care. This isn’t enough to bring salvation, but it is enough to draw people closer and make them accountable. Take time today to look up and around. Wonder at the marvel that is creation. But do more. Yield yourself more fully to His will.
The Arnold Journey 