Nature and The Word

 

"For since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

Romans 1:20

 
The Liberty Bible Commentary describes Psalm 19 like this: "The harmonious revelation of God's  glory as seen by His world and His Word." I've always enjoyed reading this Psalm declaring God's perfect creation.

"The creation of God speaks without sound or language, but with great pictorial wonder that is understood throughout the world," the commentary says.

I enjoyed reading Warren Wiersbe's words regarding Psalm 19. Wiersbe, who died last year, suggested the title to Psalm 19 as "The Perfect Word." He wrote: "The revelation of God in nature prepares us for His revelation in the Scriptures."

"I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station through which God speaks to us every hour if we will only tune in."

George Washington Carver (c. 1864-1943)

Continuing, Wiersbe wrote when speaking about the Magi, "The light of nature led them to the light of the Word, which led them to the Light of the World . . . It is God's testimony. It's name is the law of the Lord. The sun is to creation what the law is to God's people, bringing light, warmth, life, and growth."

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

Psalm 19:1

All of nature reveals God's handiwork. Can you think of the times you've been outside, maybe driving somewhere, and were astonished at the beauty you saw? Were your next words thanking God for His creation? I've experienced that many times through my life. A beautiful sunrise on the way to work. Canopy of color while driving through the forest in Fall. The sun as it falls into the ocean.

  "Nature is the art of God Eternal."

Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) 

I was 28 when I was saved, and the difference in my appreciation of creation multiplied when I truly saw creation through His eyes. You just want to burst out in song! 

"If you have never heard the mountains singing, or seen the trees of the field clapping their hands, do not think because of that they don't. Ask God to open your ears so you may hear it and your eyes so you may see it, because, though few men ever know it, they do, my friend, they do."

McCandlish Phillips

Well, this Psalm supplies the same feeling. "The Bible is the book of our heart. Every time we read a book, watch television, or listen to a speaker, something is being written on our hearts. Let God write His Word on your heart . . . When we love the Lord with our hearts, we see Him in creation and in the Scriptures," Wiersbe said.

 

"The best thing is to go from nature's God down to nature; and if you once get to nature's God and believe Him, and love Him, it is surprising how easy it is to hear music in the waves, and songs in the wild whisperings of the winds; to see God everywhere in the stones, in the rocks, in the rippling brooks and hear him everywhere, in the lowing of cattle, in the rolling of thunder, and in the fury of tempests."

Charles Hadden Spurgeon (1834-1892)

The closing verses in Psalm 19 are a sweet prayer. "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight. O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." King David is believed to have written this psalm. The commentary says: "David has surveyed the wonderful heavens that declare the glory of God; he has looked into the wonderful Word of God that declares His glory; and he has seen himself in light of these two creations of God. He has recognized the completeness of God's creation, the perfection of His Word, and his own sinful condition."

If your eyes haven't been opened before, it's time you looked upon His creation and seen His remarkable ability. God made all things. Our eyes see it and our ears hear it. You only have to look.

As Wiersbe says: "Don't simply worship the God of nature. Get into the Word of God and let God get into you."