The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. 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. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.
The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
--Parallel verses:
Isaiah 6:1-5
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
As I rise today, with many earthly things up in the air, I look to the heavens and marvel at the sheer amazingness of the incredible God we serve!
The Creator of the heavens (in all of its complex and intricate design) provides for and sustains the earth … and he is STILL REIGNING! He is the only one we can honestly cry out to: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty!
Why do some think that in place of this amazing, awe-inspiring God, they would rather craft a God of their own making? In ancient times, and still in some places around the world, people worship idols of wood or silver or gold. And these idols were always a representation of the sinful desires in their hearts to deviate from accountability to a holy God.
Today, many just skip making the idol, instead putting themselves in the place of God, by directing God’s character in their minds and keeping only the parts of his character that agree with their life goals and ambitions, without convicting them of their sinful life. It is the ultimate “Build-a-Bear” god.
No matter. This approach is fake and powerless in life. God is real! I know it by seeing his handiwork. Everyday the sun, stars, clouds, sky, etc. speak forth their evidence of an all-knowing, all-powerful, and omnipresent God.
So I choose to worship the real God of the universe, and marvel at his creation, while in some ways remaining perplexed at his ways. He is “Holy”! He is true. He is righteous. And he is loving.
Because I know these things, because they are evident and clearly observable to me, I know that I get to be in his presence only by his grace, as a sinner saved by grace. And in being in his presence, I worship him. I thank him. And I willingly submit to his commands that are good.
This is essentially what the Psalmist is saying here. Because of God’s goodness in Creation, his faithfulness to sustain it, and his power to love us; we can be confident that: “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.”
We don’t need to make our own path to God or our own god. The one, true God is smarter than we are. He made a way to him where there was no earthly way. He sent the galactical Lord of All, his son Jesus, to become human and die for us, carrying the weight of all sin for all time on the cross. And all he asks is that we repent of our sin and make him Lord of our lives, like he is Lord of the universe.
I surrender my heart to you, O God, today and every day. You are so wonderful and amazing I could never stop learning new things about how amazing you are. Take me, and use me to build your kingdom. Purify my heart to reflect your glory to a lost and dying world!
