Creation Declaring the Glory of God
Psalm 19
Psalm 19:3,4a- 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.
On a family vacation, some years back, we drove to the Grand Canyon. It was on our list of places to see for a number of years. We had researched it, saw pictures of it, but in the end nothing would truly prepare us for the experience of seeing it first hand. At the South Rim of the Canyon is a plaque with a bible verse: All the earth worships Thee, They sing praises to Thee, sing praises to thy name. - Psalm 66:4. For some moments, no words were spoken. We could only stand there in silence. Silent, yet overflowing in praise and thanksgiving.
The first part of Psalm 19 (vs 1-6) draws our minds back to the creation narrative in Genesis 1. But instead of God declaring, “It is good”, here the heavens declare of the glory of God. Creation continues to talk about God even though it is not audible. It is breathtaking to note that the sun and the heavens, with no words or attention to self, continue faithfully in their task of glorifying God. This is not simply because creation has no physical mouth. Perhaps this is more likely because silence is the climax of speech. Verse 4 also talks about their words going to the ends of the world implying the continual outpouring of praise. Silent worship is not to be confused with keeping our worship private.
There is sometimes so much noise, self glorification, and distraction in our worship these days. Most of our forms of worship naturally involve words - either sung, chanted, or spoken. Jesus warned against vain repetition and heaping words together. Creation challenges us to praise God with more than just our mouths. Words are needed of course; human beings are fundamentally creatures of communication. But even the Psalmist submits both the words of his mouth along with the silent meditations of his heart before the Lord. Today, how can we praise God loudly without words? If the rest of creation does its job effortlessly day in and out, how much more should we be glorifying our Creator since we are made in His image and are the apple of His eye?
PRAYER
Dear God, as we enjoy the wonders of your creation, help us stand in awe and worship you with our whole heart. Give us words to convey what the silence speaks so clearly. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“Be still and know that I am God” - Psalm 46:10a.
Mrs. Roshin Abraham, MTC of Silicon Valley and Sacramento Congregation, CA
Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church
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