“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. 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. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. 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.”
Psalms 19:1-14 NIV
Do you admire the sunrises and sunsets like I do? My phone is filled with pictures of my Father’s great art works, none replicated none reproduced. They’re all breathtaking, well as far as my daughter and I are concerned anyway. We live to see them. I’ll see if I can share one at the end of this message. I stand in awe. David definitely found a sweet spot in this Psalm. He must’ve seen something wonderful to make him shout; “The Heavens declare the glory of God!”
We’ll miss out in our busyness what all He’s declaring. As a shepherd, his days and nights are spent outdoors, he’s constantly moving about until he finds a good grazing place for his sheep. But he misses nothing of what the Good Shepherd is displaying, you can hear his soul being poured out in worship in every word. How did he not miss one thing? You’d think at night he would be too tired to notice, and in the day too busy planning his next move. But from the Psalm we discover that more than taking care of sheep, David was a worshipper. Every move, every step, was an opportunity to recognize what God was doing and acknowledge and praise Him.
I told the Bible Study group that having the faith of Abraham includes worship and thanksgiving. We take so much for granted that we’ve forgotten that we’re not our own. Your priority will always be your first and last thought. On my bed I remember You; I think of You through the watches of the night. No I didn’t write that, David did in Psalm 63:6. He had made God His priority day and night. If you drag yourself to and out of bed, you’ll miss these moments. You don’t need to be on some island to enjoy sunrises or sunsets, they’re occurring everyday. Some more magnificent than others, but they’re there. If you’re preoccupied you’ll miss the opportunity to declare what David did in our opening scripture.
Meditation and reflection was another of David’s strengths evident in His writings. Skip down to verses 7-9. He’s rehearsing what he’s discovered in serving Jehovah. Everything God supplies is; perfect, refreshing, trustworthy, wise, right, joyful, radiant, pure. And our souls are refreshed, the simple is made wise, His commands make us discerning and the fear of Him is pure. He’s not an agitator, He’s not demanding or demeaning. Fearing Him is sweet peace. You can see that and hear it in David’s descriptive words.
Then his soul burst forth in wondrous praise echoing in the vast landscape around him. Reflecting on everything we’ve read earlier he exclaims at the top of his lungs, “More to be desired are they than gold, yeah than the purest gold! Sweeter than honey, than the honeycomb! By them (the precepts, laws, commands) Your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” Did you find yourself shouting along with David as your soul was burning and your heart was racing with the revelation of His wondrous magnificence? Whew... that was a rush! Now I understand what Jesus meant when He said, “if we were silenced, the rocks would cry out.” It’s impossible to know and experience Him and be silent. I can hear David’s exuberance, his uninhibited joy at discovering the sweetness of fellowship, obedience and gratitude.
He closes by asking that his expressions of appreciation and wonder, the secret meditation of his heart would be pleasing to the God of Wonders. What do your words express to the God of wonders? Have you grown too familiar in your relationship with Him, that He no longer amazes you? The sunsets are a dime a dozen -no big deal. He made that painting just for you! Did you miss it? Are you too bogged down by life, trying to eek out a living that you’ve forgotten that He is your supply? What is your meditation? Don’t let life rob you of life. The little things are the awe inspiring things. The monarch butterfly that just hovered around you, that was a God whisper to slow down, admire and be in awe. Do you hear the birds singing their praises to their Creator? Did you join them or were they a nuisance? The perfect formation of geese in flight, following their leader. Who taught them to do that? Breathe....shout His wonder like David! Stop missing and start experiencing His wonders. They’re all around you!
Slow down, take time
Breath in He said
He'd reveal what's to come
The thoughts in His mind
Always higher than mine
He'll reveal all to come Sing praise my soul
Find strength in joy
Let His Words lead you on
Do not forget His great faithfulness
He'll finish all He's begun
Beautiful lyrics reminding us to rest. Slow down. There’s no do over in the grave. You don’t need to retire to enjoy your life. Just determine what is priority for you. If it’s Jesus serve Him, if it’s Baal then serve him. But if you want to experience what David did, then jump in with your heart body and soul. Declare! You’re sweeter than honey Abba! Jesus, You’re sweeter than the honeycomb!
Father in the Name of Jesus,
Thank you for reminding us to slow down and drink You in. Drink in the wonder of You and all You’ve given us to enjoy. Life, real life, is found in slowing down with You-Appreciating every little thing. We miss out on so much. You paint the sky to get us to stop and think of You, the sunrise is Your good morning, the sunset Your goodnight, David saw it and gave us a description. But still you bring it even nearer to us, outside our front doors, yet we miss You. Help us by Your Spirit and Word to stop for a moment and behold...Amen
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant