Scripture: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours our speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world.” Ps 19:1-4
Observation: If I read the rest of Psalms 19, I should see many statements that maybe I could have written about. But what could be better than writing about the Majesty?
Analysis: “The law of the Lord is perfect; the testimony of the Lord is sure; the precepts of the Lord are right; the commandment of the Lord is pure…
The fear of the Lord is clean; the rules of the Lord are true—(they) are more to be desired than gold, even much fine gold…etc.” Ps 19:7-10a and more, reading to the rest of the selection.
I could have written about these. To get to them, I would have to gloss over the Psalmist’s word portrait of the Majesty of God.
I cringe when I think of what I skip over in the scriptures to get to what I have called the “eye candy”; those couple of dozen references that seem to satisfy whenever I need a “bible boost.”
When is the last time I have sat on the back porch (or anywhere) and gazed into the sky with the express thought of “The heavens, O Lord my God, declare Your handiwork! I can imagine seeing Your Glory as you hold all the planets in their orbits; you have named the stars, every one of them.”
When have I last preached to myself: “All of the heavens pour out speech, speaking of your Majesty! Nothing can stop the testimony of the skies; it resounds through all the earth….”
In the book, “The Enemy Within” (studying at Sat AM Coffee at IHOP), the writer plopped out a phrase about “guarding their immortal souls.” (location 209, Kindle).
Cultivating awe. To be my best on “mission”, I need to habitually cultivate “awe.”
Example: Remember Simon the magician (Acts 8)? He though “ministry” was cool and wanted to buy a place with the disciples. Here is a good example of not cultivating “awe” through the fear of the Lord.
Prayer: Father, I want my eyes to be filled with your Majesty and Glory, as much as they can be. There are sooo many things in You to pursue. Make it so that I am in pursuit systematically (by Your guidance, Spirit) and not lose sight of the Tapestry of the Gospel, You, O Lord, the thread that holds all together. AMEN.