"There is no speech,
nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard."
-Psalm 19:3
We’ve probably all done it: stood outside at night, and gazed upwards into the sky. Though darkness surrounds us, up above there is light—thousands upon thousands of stars, the glowing disc of the moon, and if you know where to look, planets. It’s usually very quiet when we take a moment like this to star-gaze, enjoying the night’s stillness.
But there is a voice. If you listen carefully, you can hear it. While the heavens themselves are silent, they are continually giving testimony, loud and clear. Psalm 19 says they are declaring, proclaiming, and pouring out speech (vv. 1-2). They are announcing the glory of God!
That vast sky, those circling planets, the radiant stars and moon, and the brilliant sun—they all reveal the God who made them. Through their fine detail, through their sheer size, through their stunning beauty, the heavens are telling about God’s power and wisdom. Their order and orbits are witnesses to the Lord’s sovereignty over all, and his faithfulness to what he created. And the farther mankind’s vision reaches into the universe, the more we are staggered by God’s greatness. The heavens, and all created things, bear the undeniable signature of their Creator.
Everyone can see it, everyone can hear it: “There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.” Whatever your language, whatever your literacy level, you can hear creation’s song to its glorious Maker. But you have to listen carefully—Jesus would say you need “ears to hear.” For there are many people who aren’t listening to creation’s testimony, and who are denying the God who made all things.
That’s what we’re all inclined to do: to ignore the Creator, to turn what he’s made into idols, and to keep our praise to ourselves. This is why the message heard in creation isn’t enough. We also need to hear how the just God can accept offenders like us back into fellowship. This has been made possible through Jesus his Son! Jesus came to reveal the Father in all his righteousness and mercy, and He made the greatest display of this through his death and resurrection.
Now his saving gospel goes out in many languages “to all the earth,” Christ’s words “to the ends of the world” (Rom 10:18). May God give us ears to hear that gospel, hearts to believe it, and mouths to sing his praise!
[from Christ's Psalms, Our Psalms: Daily Meditations, ed. Peter Holtvluwer]
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