Psalm Tuesday again…
Notes from today’s readings:
Psalm 19 (NIV)
1The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.2Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.3There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.4Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,5which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.6It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.7The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.8The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.9The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.10They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.11By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.12Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.13Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.14May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
This Psalm speaks quite powerfully to me. I don’t know that I can specifically identify why, but it does.
Perhaps it’s the fact that I most definitely appreciate the way God’s creation demonstrates His majesty, and that there’s something really powerful about the beauty and enormity of nature that makes us reflect on God as creator of all things. Whether it be the beauty of a blue sky dotted with clouds, the magnificence of natural wonders like the Grand Canyon, the fury of a summer thunderstorm, the tranquility of the star-filled night sky, or even just the sight and scents of a painted meadow of spring wildflowers… nature, the work of God’s hands, draws us to thoughts of Him. I like how poetically the Psalmist conveys this… “the heavens declare the glory of God”, “the skies proclaim the work of his hands”, “there is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.”
Perhaps it’s all the statements about God’s direction for us and the impact they have on our lives. The Psalmists words are simply encouraging… “the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul”, “the statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple”, “the precepts of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart”, “the commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes”, “the ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous”. I don’t know that we often think about how fortunate we are to have God’s words available to us, and how they can be of benefit to our lives.
In thinking about this Psalm, though, I think the closing verse is the key for me. After thinking about the glory of the Lord by considering His creation, after considering the joy of the Lord that comes through having His words available to us, and after considering the benefits of following God… we have this statement in verse 14:
14May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Despite all my faults, failures, struggles, and short-comings… I know it’s my heart’s desire to follow God. Though I know the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart are most definitely not always pleasing to God, He is still my Rock and Redeemer, and I can pray those words to Him with all honesty and sincerity. I DO want to be pleasing to God in all ways.
While we’re not to grow complacent in our faith and be satisfied with anything less than holiness, somehow I think that having that heart’s desire to be pleasing to God at the center of our lives is of higher importance than just about anything else in regard to our faith. We can have all the discipline in the world in regard to avoiding sin and doing all the good deeds God expects us to do… but have all of it be meaningless if it’s not done with the right heart and motivation.
So I ask… is it your heart’s desire that “the words of [your] mouth and the meditation of [your] heart be pleasing in [God’s] sight”?
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