stephen R Harrison

“Renew Vision”

“The heavens declare the glory of God.

The skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

-Psalm 19:1

I’ll never forget two scenes from one day while visiting missionaries in India. Our team woke up early to drive about an hour away to worship with a new church and new believers. We had to stop on the drive as shepherds led their flocks across the road. The most perfect sunrise I had ever seen blossomed across the sky just behind them. It was incredible! Beautiful! As we were stopped, I couldn’t help but worship God and think about Psalm 19. Verse 1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Every day, the tapestry of the sky is painted with the glorious radiance of God’s splendor. I would have been fine parked on the roadside for the rest of that morning. 

The other scene that day was very different. On the way to the Ganges River one night, we passed horrible slums and crossed a bridge with the worst smell of sewage. I was gagging! When we arrived at the Ganges, thousands were worshipping idols and praying to false gods along the polluted river. I was spiritually and physically sick to my stomach. The public restroom didn’t help my situation! I began to weep and pray for the gospel to be revealed and thousands to be saved. It was a vastly different setting than earlier that morning. The entire sky was worshipping God that morning, yet thousands were worshipping demons that night! 

As Jesus entered Jerusalem, people stood by the road and shouted, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:38). Several Pharisees questioned Jesus for not rebuking his disciples (v. 39). Jesus replied, “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out” (v. 40). Then, he wept over Jerusalem (v. 41) as the peace they needed (Jesus) was hidden from their eyes (v. 42). Oh, how we can miss the beauty of the Lord through his creation, even distorting and worshipping it!

Psalm 19 says even without words, the skies proclaim God’s great glory to the world. Lent helps us anticipate and celebrate Easter and his Second Coming. It can also be a time we reflect on God’s creation and rejoice in his glory. May his creation drive us to worship the God who created everything. We were created in his image and designed to worship him. May we see his creation – his marvelous handiwork – with new eyes and worship the Creator who sent his Son to redeem us from sin. 

Questions:

Does the beauty of God’s creation drive you to worship?

Do you often find yourself distracted, too busy to see God’s handiwork? 

Prayer:

Jesus, your creation causes us to worship. Forgive us when we are too busy or distracted to notice your handiwork. Thank you for creating everything that draws us to worship you. Renew our vision. Let us see you in your creation. Thank you for redeeming us from sin. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Read: 

Psalm 19:1-6

Action Step:

Plan a walk, hike, or bike ride somewhere to enjoy God’s creation for an extended period. Perhaps you can coordinate it at the beginning or end of the day to observe a sunrise or sunset. Use that time to worship the Lord and reflect on Psalm 19 and the glory of the Lord.