“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
~ Psalm 19:1
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you enjoy watching the dawning or awakening of a new day? Do you enjoy watching the closing or ending of a day? Do you enjoy watching a yellowish/orange globe coloring the morning sky? Do you enjoy listening to a choir of chirping birds as they welcome in a new day? Do you enjoy tracking white fluffy, woolly clouds that will sometimes float by between you and an azure, cobalt sky ocean? Do you enjoy seeing coming from dark billowing angry looking clouds dazzling forks of lightning and listening to the accompanying reverberating thunder rumbles? Do you enjoy in evenings watching a reddish/orange ball drop below the west’s horizon? Do you enjoy the changing hues coloring the sky as an arcing fire ball first greets and then says goodbye to a constantly spinning planet Earth? Do you enjoy looking nightly at a pale moon that goes from showing a full face to a sliver face? Do you enjoy lying awake at night watching scurrying clouds scuttle by the pale moon’s full face? Do you enjoy glimpsing the bright white tail of a streaking meteorite as it crosses through a pitch black night sky? God created an awesome universe. The orb that you are living on is no more than a mere speck in God’s cosmic creation. You are no more than a mere speck on this planet called Earth. If you have never wondered what it is that is keeping God’s unfathomable cosmic handiwork from malfunctioning or why planet Earth’s sun and moon are totally predictable, why heaven’s stars are totally reliable, why life giving rainfalls periodically soak everywhere on planet Earth seeded soils, why trees and plants produce edibles, why humanoids can communicate with one another, why . . . you will wonder one day.
David knew that the sky – the heavens, was talking to him. David wrote about what the sky – the heavens, is saying in Psalm 19. David wrote in verse 1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Have you ever heard the sky – the heavens, speak? The sky – the heavens, does speak. The sky – the heavens, speaks about God. The sky – the heavens, speaks without using words. The sky – the heavens, postures God’s handiwork. To posture is to send off nonverbal cues. Every guy, gal and kid sends off nonverbal cues about one thing or another. Nonverbal cues can say more than something that is said verbally. Your grandpaa finds it really confusing when a guy, gal or kid sends off a nonverbal cue that is different than what the guy, gal or kid is saying verbally. God did not just send nonverbal cues to every guy, gal and kid who has lived, is living and will live on planet Earth to let every guy, gal or kid know that He is Who is the creator of the universe and everything that is in it; God also sent laws, statutes, precepts, commands and ordinances for His specially chosen and elected guys and gals to unreservedly accept and to unconditionally live by on planet Earth. What do you think is more beautiful – an evening sky that is splashed with an array of brilliant colors as the sun drops off the edge of planet Earth or the laws, statutes, precepts, commands and ordinances that God passed on through guys who He tenured on planet Earth. David was just as enthralled with God’s laws, statutes, precepts, commands and ordinances as he was with all the things that he witnessed in the sky – the heavens. David clearly understood that God expected him to always obey His laws, statutes, precepts, commands and ordinances because he had come to recognize that God’s laws, statutes, precepts, commands and ordinances are more precious than pure gold and that they were sweeter than honey that has been taken directly from a honeycomb. Laws, statutes, precepts, commands and ordinances were passed on by God through Moses to help His specially chosen and elected guys and gals to faithfully worship only Him.
On one cool, dark starry night – in Chochís, Bolivia, your grandmaa and grandpaa and an eight week summer team of guys and gals had to wait for most of the night for a freight train to arrive. Even though the night was quite cool, none of the guys and gals on the summer team seemed to mind waiting for the freight train. Your grandpaa had decided to divide the summer team into two groups. One group waited on one side of the railroad tracks while the second group waited opposite the first group on the other side of the railroad tracks. Your grandpaa knew that both groups would have just seconds to get into a boxcar before the freight train would begin to move again. While your grandmaa and grandpaa was waiting with the summer team alongside the railroad tracks that cool, dark starry night, one meteorite after another streaked across the black night sky. The meteorite filled night sky made the night pass quickly. Your grandpaa told the summer team guys and gals that they were not to wait to climb into a boxcar. Your grandpaa told one of the guys who was in the group opposite from the group that your grandpaa was in that just as soon as the freight train stopped that he was to open up as quickly as he could the nearest boxcar door and that he was to begin throwing in the pile of backpacks, duffel bags and sleeping bags as fast as he could while the rest of the college age guys and gals in his group piled into the boxcar as quickly as they could. When the freight train finally arrived in Chochís – which was about four o’clock in the morning, the guy who your grandpaa had asked to take on the responsibility in the second group and your grandpaa slid open opposite doors of the very same boxcar. Just as soon as the two boxcar doors were opened, all the guys and gals piled screaming and yelling into the boxcar. The freight train barely came to a stop in Chochís before . . . if one of the guys or gals on the summer team had decided not to listen to what your grandpaa had said, that guy or gal would have been left behind. If you decide not to listen to what God has said through guys like David, God’s life freight train will not wait for you to take you on to heaven.
Psalm 19 (265)