The Heavens Declare

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The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world (Psalm 19:1-4, ESV).

The light screeches across the evening sky in brilliant colors sparkling with shimmering dust as if it contained gold and chrome. The contrast between dark heavens and illuminated flashes is strikingly moving. We stand and strain our necks to make sure we take in the total experience of this spectacle that we look forward to each year as our nation celebrates its birthday. We gather to watch and in many place there is an admission charge to watch the fireworks displays. Some like the falling colors after the explosion, some like the streaking tail of the rocket type ordinance, some like the piercing sounds, some like the booming retort, some like just being with friends on a summer evening and some just simply hate fireworks. Especially really small children have problems with the loud noises and unpredictable nature of the whole event. I like the cluster type fireworks with their extra bonus like explosions and crackling sparkles.

All of this color, sound, and glittering feast for the eyes can be celebratory and wonderful but it nothing in comparison to the show that God puts on each and every day through His creation. There are sunsets with mixtures and hues of color beyond any painter’s or photographer’s ability to capture. Every night the heavens overflow with stars dazzling endlessly in their capacity to shine and in the sheer vast quantity that cannot even be named or numbered. The list of amazing spectacular beautiful and sensual experiences unfolding in each and every day and night which are free to behold are quite endless. The experiences which become brief of monumental focus points on an the endless spectrum of seasons and life on the earth we live on are noteworthy and bring us incredible joy. Yet in the array of all of this sensory delight, there is a greater realization which should stagger us beyond what we see, smell or touch.

What is greater and what is of more significance, remains as an amazing fact; God created, ordered and designed all that we behold around us on the earth and in the heavens above us. All of this simple and spectacular reflects His care, provision and beauty. It should cause us to exclaim as Job did as he repented of his pride and gave the glory to God, “I know nothing about things too wonderful for me” (Job 42:3). The expressions vocalized in our “ooohs” and “aaahs” when we attend various celebrations with man-made colorful and explosive sights are miniscule in comparison what we should feel about the wonder of God and the created world that proclaims His glory. Let us be awed and let us give Him praise. For it is He who “causes the dawn to appear in the east,” “visits the storehouse of the snow,” “lays out the path of the lightning,” “gives birth to the dew,” and is able to “count all the clouds” (Job 38). His dazzling show is endless and the spectacle is truly beyond description. Let us join with the endless praise bursting forth from the heavens and give our praise and thanks unto the Lord.

Suggested Reading … Psalm 19

Originally posted around July 4th, 2014 – Re-posted 9-08-2014 under new title, due to a tag applied to original post which resulted in hundreds of spam comments.

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