Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Thoughts on Psalm 19

I realized yesterday as i was looking over my site that my blog seems to be being consumed lately by the evolution issue at the expense of everything else. So to break up the monotony, and give myself a break, i wanted to look at a Psalm that i seem to have been reading quite a bit of lately. There's too much there to post everything so i will just go over some excerpts.

Psalm 19.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
2 Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,

As i said, this psalm has been one that i have gone back to again and again. As you can guess, this has been a bit of an influence for my current discussion. The concept is just so undenyable. When i look at the world andthe complexity of it all, even just the sky (our atmosphere) it is amazing how complex it is and has to be to sustain life on this planet. It is a beautiful work.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward.

Every time i read this section it reminds me of a song with these verses as the lyrics that we used to sing at camp. I have a note in my Bible referencing that it is a song that i know. The problem is that because i know it as a song, i see it as that song and the words begin to lose meaning to me at times. But, when i ignore the tune and just focus on the words, i have found that they have such amazing meaning. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;" They are more than just words. At first glance they appear to be commands, but in reality they are really promises to us.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

I have this verse underlined in green in my Bible.
I have a four color pen that i use for study. I underline a text in black if it is semi-interesting and i want to highlight it as such.
I underline in blue when what i read really has some meat or truth in it that i want to highlight (the previous passages are underlined in black and blue)
I underline in red when i have a note about what is there. When it is a song i put a musical notation in red next to the passage. When another scripture and it reference or bring better meaning to each other i either use green arrows or write the reference in red. When i have interesting notes i write them in red next to the passage. You get the drift.
However i use green when what i'm reading is of such significance that it directly applies to my life at the time, is of high importance, and/or i want to memorize it. In this case it is all three.

This passage is my desire for my life right now. That what i say and think be acceptable. That my mind be focused on the things above and not on the things of this earth that distract me and pull me away from God. "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight," For you are "my strength and my redeemer". Even in this is a promise. I can't do this on my own. He gives me strength and redeems me from my failures, mistakes, and sin. In Him i trust.

2 comments:

In His Steps said...

Our family was out for a walk last night at sunset. The clouds and reflected light gave the sky an appearance of a vast expanse. It was truly beautiful. The words to the song "Creation Calls" by Brian Doerksen came to my mind.

Creation Calls

(Brian Doerksen)


I have felt the wind blow
Whispering Your name
I have seen Your tears fall
When I watch the rain

(Chorus 1)
How could I say there is no God
When all around creation calls
A singing bird, a mighty tree
The vast expanse of open sea

Gazing at a bird in flight
Soaring through the air
Lying down beneath the stars
I feel Your presence there

(Chorus 2)
I love to stand at ocean’s shore
And feel the thundering breakers roar
To walk through golden fields of grain
’Neath endless blue horizon’s frame

Listening to a river run
Watering the earth
Fragrance of a rose in bloom
A newborn’s cry at birth

(Chorus 1, Chorus 2)

I believe, I believe
I believe

Water flowing over the edge of a rock precipice
Turning misty white as it falls into the pool below

Tall evergreens, at the river’s edge, standing on guard
While a deer and fawn drink from the stream

The smell of tilled earth, just after the rain
A rainbow, dazzling natural colours

The sight of a hawk as it circles in the thermal draughts of summer
A flock of Canada geese flying in perfect formation

Rising from the valley floor, rolling hills covered with trees
Birch, maple, elm, beech turning fiery red, yellow and gold in the autumn air

A leaf on its brief journey, twisting, turning, dancing its way to the ground
Lifting our eyes, the mountains rise, trees giving way

Giving way to rock, cliffs, ice glaciers and majestic jagged peaks
As the sun slips behinf the horizon and night falls,
The mountains become silent fortresses silouetted against
The night sky, the countless stars shining in silent testimony

Snowflakes, gently falling, falling, each unique, whispering
“Remember the mercy of God ... remember the mercy ... ”
Covering the world in white and then
The quiet, quiet, quiet of creation at rest

Copyright © 1994 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.

Christie said...

That scripture has meaning for myself as well. Camp provided so much important scripture that I hear every time I go to church. As I hum those learned scripture tunes I get that peace. I don't necessarily have to go to the Bible to find it. I know that God is in everything around us and he is teaching us even through contemporary Christian music, if we just listen to what it is saying. God works in each of us in many different ways.