Wonder at his goodness

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. (Psalm 19:1-4)

As a kid, I used to lay back under the shade of the big mulberry tree in our front yard, gazing endlessly at the clouds that would pass over us in our Arizona sky. Clouds weren't all that frequent, so when they came, it was a thing to be fully enjoyed. I'd imagine all kinds of animals, people, vehicles, and the like from the various shapes of those big fluffy ones. It was kind of a game with me and my buddies, trying to see something that the other one didn't see until you described it. We'd be there for hours at a time, just giggling and talking. Enjoying each other's company. I wonder if more of us were to take the time to see the beauty in God's creation, allowing his craftsmanship to speak deep into our spirit, what it might be that God reveals to us in those moments.

The skies speak without a sound or a word. There is much to be said about just 'considering' the greatness and goodness of God. It is what some may call 'meditation', or others call it 'pondering', and some even call it 'musing over'. Either way, if we take the time to really quiet ourselves before God, he can reveal himself to us in the smallest of things and the greatest of ways. We don't have to 'dictate' how God reveals himself to us, we just need to be available to 'consider' him in all the 'ways' he uses in order to do just that. We get so carried away by thinking God could only speak to us in one way or another, all the while missing out on his stillness and peaceful revelation of himself that he brings with the simplest of means. 

I live in a big city, so the night skies are a little 'muted' due to all the ambient light around me. When I am out fishing, enjoying the peacefulness of a lake in the early morning hours just before the sun is fully 'awake', I can see the glow of all those stars and imagine the vastness of God's kingdom. When I look at the thousands of tiny buds on the trees in early spring, no leaf in sight, I can imagine the beauty of those fresh green leaves as they burst forth under the warming sky's light. I see the beauty of God's creation and 'consider' his power, marvel over his majesty, and celebrate his faithfulness. How about you? Have you taken time out to truly 'consider' God today? If not, it isn't too late. Day or night, he beckons for you to just settle in, allow him to show you something beyond your 'power' or 'ability', and wonder at his goodness. Just sayin!

Just another sunrise?

The heavens keep telling the wonders of God, and the skies declare what he has done. Each day informs the following day; each night announces to the next. They don’t speak a word, and there is never the sound of a voice. Yet their message reaches all the earth, and it travels around the world. In the heavens a tent is set up for the sun. It rises like a bridegroom and gets ready like a hero eager to run a race. It travels all the way across the sky. Nothing hides from its heat. (Psalm 19:1-6)

We might be amazed with each sunrise, sunset, and the phases of the moon! Why? They are simply doing what they were designed to do - to keep telling the wonders of God and declaring boldly what he has done! They declare his creative power and his ability to sustain all things with nothing more than the sound of his voice! This should give us cause to pause for just a few moments to consider his greatness and to bask in his brilliance! When we think of the sun and the moon, we are to consider them as "declarations" of God's continued care for each of us. Without a word, the sun goes down and the moon takes its place in the sky. Without a sound, the sun begins the slow journey from somewhere below the horizon into the majesty of the sky above. In the passage of hours, it finds itself lingering just along the opposite horizon, giving that final glow of daylight as the moon sets about the path it will keep during those ensuing nighttime hours. No announcement is heard - no words are spoken - yet the brilliance of the sun's brightness and the faithfulness of the moon's passage tell of the faithfulness of our God.

Scripture tells us if we don't tell of his faithfulness, even nature will declare it. The message is heralded by the brightness of day and the dark, but brilliant night hours. The world is without excuse when it comes to knowing there is a God - for even the things we take so much for granted declare his faithfulness and grace. Without the sun, we would be launched into perpetual darkness and frigid temperatures. Without the brilliance of those rays beating down on plants below, the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen would never occur. Apart from their faithful coming and going, all life as we know it would cease to follow its pattern of life. Even us! We often take for granted things which God has taken so much care to prepare and preserve for our well-being. I have an appreciation for the majesty of what God has created and the tremendous amount of care he put into the handiwork each object of his creative power exhibits. Whether it is you or I that is being considered as his handiwork, or the tree fully in bloom with magnificent magnolia blooms filling the air with their sweet smell, or the seeming ease at which the humpback whale rises from the depths below - God is declared to be GOD in all of these things.

Stop to consider these wonders now and again. Think about the mystery of these objects. We don't really know what keeps the sun and moon in their places in the skies above, although scientists have studied their existence and course for years and years. We don't really know how they came to be, although scripture declares clearly their existence is clearly from God's hand - created from nothing - something we cannot comprehend with our finite minds. Some days reveal the passage of those bright rays in shorter spans than others, depending upon the time of year we observe their presence. Maybe this is because God wants us to recognize there are times when we need to bring rest to the earth and seasons when productive growth occurs. Maybe this is symbolic of how we go through seasons of tremendous growth, followed by what seems like times of coolness and barrenness. Those aren't times of barrenness. They are times of preparation - for in those moments when the days seem darker, our hearts are being prepared for the returning of the brilliance of those productive seasons soon to break upon the horizon of our lives! No announcement is necessary for the sun to take its place high above us. God's care is behind the dependability of its rising and setting! Just as consistent as he is in arranging for the sun to take its course high above us, his care over our lives may be depended upon because his carefulness over our lives and the course we take within them is for more important to him! Just sayin!