No hymn requests today… Let’s try this one: All Creatures of Our God and King, sung by the Altar of Praise Chorale.
The heavens proclaim the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork –Psalm 19:1
Tag: psalm 19
What Are ‘the Heavens’?
(Those are galaxies, folks–each one consisting of countless stars.)
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. (Psalm 19: 1-2)
Is the universe just a bunch of nothing? Atoms bumping into other atoms to form molecules, molecules bumping into molecules, no rhyme nor reason to any of it, no active creation involved… “Life,” as we call it, being an illusion.
We teach that in our schools every day. We preach it on TV. We call it Science.
But what if it’s wrong?
God is a Person, and He made us in His image. That’s why we are persons, too. But He also made everything else. Everything in the universe, all the work of His hands.
What if it’s not random? What if the presumed emptiness of “space” only looks that way to us because of our many limitations–and our Science-based presuppositions? What if what we think we “see” is only there because we don’t know how to see? Any stage magician can demonstrate that.
When we view “space” through our newest telescopes, it doesn’t look empty at all. In fact, it looks kind of crowded. The vast emptiness of interstellar space only seems like vast emptiness because we’re so small.
Surely God had a purpose for creating all of it. We don’t know what His purpose was in sowing the heavens with stars, planets, and galaxies. He hasn’t told us. We can never see it as He sees it.
Shouldn’t we stand in awe, reflecting on the Person whose work this is?
And He sent His Son… to us. Here on earth, to us. To win salvation and eternal life–for us.
Christ and all those galaxies go together.
Someday we’ll know how. When we’re wiser.
By Request, ‘More Precious Than Gold’
Back from the vet’s just in time to take this hymn request from Joshua–More Precious Than Gold, by Acappella. If the lyrics sound familiar to you, they should: they’re from Psalm 19, “The heavens declare the glory of God…”
Peep is cross now, but the vet thinks she seems pretty healthy. We have to wait for lab work to know for sure. Thank you, everybody, for your prayers.
Doug Smith’s ‘West Texas’–Inspiring
My wife wishes to dedicate this beautiful video to her Pogo friend Bob Capps, from Texas, who originally emailed it to her, along with many other messages that we both enjoyed immensely. Bob died recently: he is greatly missed by many.
West Texas is music composed and played by pianist Doug Smith, with pictures by Wyman Meinzer, the official state photographer of Texas. The beauty moves us to cry out: “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” (Psalm 19:1)
Doug Smith overcame a near-fatal auto accident, that left him largely paralyzed, to continue his musical career. He died last year. This, below, is his story, told by him.
If this doesn’t inspire you, if this doesn’t move you, please check to see if you can fog a mirror.
Hymn: ‘This is My Father’s World’
The heavens proclaim the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork.
This is one of those ancient hymns you learn in Sunday school–if they’re not too busy bull-riding in your church–and never forget. The video is performed by Fernando Ortega. Here are the lyrics’
This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; his hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white, declare their maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world: he shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear him pass; he speaks to me everywhere.
Pay special attention to this last verse–words we need to hear.
This is my Father’s world, O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.
This is my father’s world; why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King; let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let the earth be glad!
There has never been a time, in my lifetime, when the wrong ever seemed so strong as it seems today. But God is the ruler yet: all the wonderful works of His hands, which we see everywhere, declare to us: “God is nigh.”
Honor God’s Word
http://www.webmastergrade.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Mind-Refreshing-Sunrise.jpg
We know the sun is going to rise every day. But every day it seems to rise on a different vision of truth and morality, courtesy of a lot of academic chowderheads who make these things up just to see what they can get us to think or do.
Every time you turn around, they’ve come up with something new–for the sake of which, we’re all supposed to change, to cast off core beliefs, and to accept the new, improved version of “truth” or else be branded as haters and enemies of the human race. And it’s frightening to observe the ease with which so many people do just that.
One thing that does not change is God’s word, because God Himself is eternal and does not change. Nor does God lie: that’s man’s province. The word of God, His gift to us: converting the soul, making wise the simple, rejoicing the heart, and enlightening the eyes: clean, enduring forever, and righteous altogether (after Psalm 19)–is this what we’re supposed to throw out, because some fool has thought of something new?
When Our Savior Jesus Christ challenged His disciples, “Will ye also go away?”, Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.” (John 6:67-68)
Eternal life is not to be traded in for eternal political correctness.
One thing I know: if God were as fickle as we are, we couldn’t count on seeing the sun come up tomorrow.