God of power and might, beauty and light, brighten the day of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Psalm 19: 1 God's glory is on tour in the skies, God-craft on exhibit across the horizon. 2 Madame Day holds classes every morning, Professor Night lectures each evening. 3 Their words aren't heard, their voices aren't recorded, 4 But their silence fills the earth: unspoken truth is spoken everywhere. God makes a huge dome for the sun - a superdome! 5 The morning sun's a new husband leaping from his honeymoon bed, The daybreaking sun an athlete racing to the tape. 6 That's how God's Word vaults across the skies from sunrise to sunset, Melting ice, scorching deserts, warming hearts to faith. 7 The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road. 8 The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy. The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes. 9 God's reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee. The decisions of God are accurate down to the nth degree. 10 God's Word is better than a diamond, better than a diamond set between emeralds. You'll like it better than strawberries in spring, better than red, ripe strawberries. 11 There's more: God's Word warns us of danger and directs us to hidden treasure. 12 Otherwise how will we find our way? Or know when we play the fool? 13 Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh! Keep me from stupid sins, from thinking I can take over your work; Then I can start this day sun-washed, scrubbed clean of the grime of sin. 14 These are the words in my mouth; these are what I chew on and pray. Accept them when I place them on the morning altar, O God, my Altar-Rock, God, Priest-of-My-Altar. (The Message)
The Psalmist is saying that nature is like the Bible. There is a message to be learned in the beauty of each day if we would but listen and learn. The writer of this psalm sat and watched the day and learned from it. The beauty of day's first light, the slow uncovering of the sun's full light; "melting ice, scorching deserts," all have a message about God. Everything about nature should point us back to God who made all things. Yesterday, yet another tablet is unveiled to the public and one of the chief characteristics of this new tablet is the retina display, meaning the vivid pictures that it will be able to display. And you ever notice how companies choose flowers and birds to display the beauty of the tablet or television's ability to be such a great buy? Not a bad deal to use God's creation to show what true beauty really is.
Of course, nature is not a substitute for God's Word. We still should pick up and read our Bibles and discover the beauty of God's truth as it is revealed inside it. We should listen with our hearts and souls for what God shares with us each time we listen to a passage in the Bible. And as the psalmist said, we should use it to help us in our decisions for the day, namely to keep us from going the wrong way, away from God.
PRAYER: God of nature and God of the Word, thank You for sharing truth with us. May I and the one who prays this with me, be open to hearing and learning more of what You stand ready to share with us. May I seek to live my life guided by Your word and may I draw closer to You and away from sin. I pray this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
