Day 13 of Lent, Psalm 19:
As a child, I loved playing in the field and the woods behind my house. I spent countless hours back there pretending, observing and exploring. I couldn’t have put it into words at the time, but I felt a joy and a peace in this space. It could have been the variety of foliage and trees, the smell of the wild onions, my wonderful homemade swing, the quiet time to think under the vast sky and canopy of trees, or the brilliant changing colors. It transformed from fresh spring green, to lush summer green, to the bright hues of fall, and then to the dazzling snow white. My space was always beautiful, always changing, and always interesting.
Made in Color
Not until many years later did I discover these verses in Psalm 19:
The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge…
Now it makes sense– why nature fills me, refreshes me and puts me in awe. God speaks and reveals Himself through His creation. He declares His creativity, His power, His goodness, His beauty, His love, and care. God even speaks thru the changing colors of creation!
How glad I am that He didn’t create everything in black and white!
Bread and water
Also, when I was growing up I did not have a Bible. I heard it was the “word of God,” but I never remember opening one as a child. We did have a big black bible that sat on a shelf in our house.
Somewhere in my teen years, I acquired a New Testament and soon after that, a complete bible. Even though I had heard the “word of God” at the Catholic mass, it seemed so different holding it and reading it on my own. With an eager heart I began to consume this mysterious book. I knew little, yet in my simple way I was discovering these words for the first time. It felt as if I had been through a famine and now had bread and water available. It was my sustenance. I didn’t want to live the rest of my life without it.
Now I understand why Psalm 19 also says that the words of God:
- restore the soul
- make wise the simple
- rejoice the heart
- enlighten the eyes
- are righteous altogether
“They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.”
God does speak in many ways. His creation constantly speaks of Him, if I am still enough to listen or observant enough to see. His word are His words. It is sweet- my bread with honey. Most of all, His words speaks life. As Peter astutely recognized and said to Jesus: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6: 68) Does God speak? Yes. The question is, “Am I listening?”
God speaks. Can I hear Him?
