Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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 God’s Glory Revealed

 Psalm 19

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be
pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Psalm 19 is a beautiful hymn by David, who presents it as a praise offering to the Lord. When we look closely, David is writing about how God’s glory is revealed.
In the first part (verses 1-6) of the psalm, David extols how God is revealed through creation. One day when I was taking a walk outside, I purposely slowed down to observe nature around me. When I looked up, I was surprised to see the branches of the tall trees as if they were reaching up into the air in praise. I started to notice the fragrant smells of tree bark and flowers that had evaded me before, as a beautiful offering up to the Lord. All of creation was providing witness to how great God is. When we look closely, creation is God’s revelation of Himself to humankind.
In the second part (verses 7-10) of the psalm, the David sings about the Torah, the law. We often look at the law as burdensome but for the Israelites, the law was a divine gift. It was more precious than gold and sweeter than honey (v10). We forget that the psalm was written at a time when Scripture was only available on the scrolls in the temple or recited from memory. Today, we have so opportunities to read God’s word from the many copies of the Bible in our homes, to the smartphones always by our side. When we open our Bibles, do we understand how blessed we are that God chose to reveal Himself through Scripture?
In the third part (verses 11-14) of the psalm, David expresses how important it is for us to keep the law. It is how God can be revealed through us, the faithful. We must understand that we have a great responsibility. More than just keeping our Bibles in safe places in our homes, we are called to bring God’s words to life through our living.
If you look closely “LORD” is repeated exactly seven times in verses 7-14. When we come across LORD (in all caps) in our English Bibles, it is actually the translation of the personal name of God revealed to Moses on Mt. Sinai (YHWH). God chose to reveal Himself to us in creation, in His Word and in the person of Jesus Christ. How blessed are we! Let us pray that our lives may reveal God’s glory so that others may come to know our great God.

Prayer

Father God, we thank you that you chose to reveal Yourself to us. When we open our eyes, we see Your majesty in creation. When we open our Bibles, You reveal Yourself in Scripture. When we look at the cross, You reveal Yourself through our Savior Jesus Christ. May we reflect Your glory through our entire being through the power of Your Holy Spirit. Amen. 
 

Thought for the Day

“Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” - St. Francis of Assisi‬


Tom Philip
Redeemer MTC, New Jersey

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