Praying To Hear the Message The Sky Is Speaking Today and Every Day

 We are living in those days here above the 48^th parallel where the sun is up before 5am and doesn’t set until after 9.  It makes it much easier for me to wake up and get going earlier than on the dark winter mornings, and I really do love the long evenings. 

I’ve mentioned before how I live in an apartment overlooking the Fraser River and how even though there is an apartment building directly in front of me, there are glorious views up and down the river on either side of it.  As I watch weather systems move in from the ocean in the west and seeming to come up the river, it’s amazing to watch the changes in the huge expanse of sky that I can see.  I can certainly relate to these words from the Bible.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.  Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.  Psalm 19:1-4

I don’t see as many stars in the sky at night because of city lights all around me but my friend Evelyn who lives just a few blocks away faces sky out her windows and on her balcony that display the stars and moon much more clearly.  She loves to go out every evening and see “the light show” as she remembers how God has named each one of those starts that can be seen and billions that we can’t see. 

He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.  When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Psalm 147:4, Psalm 8:1-4

What struck today as I read those verses from Psalm 19 is not just that the heaven speak to us from day to day and night by night making God known but that they do so without a sound or word.

It had me praying earlier today about what my face and demeanor speak about God without a sound or word.  We know that that there are some people we instinctively feel safe around and others that we avoid.  There’s so much study that’s gone into body language – some of it “over the top” from my perspective but that’s just my opinion.  However, we do know that we say a lot without sound or words.  I wish all of my speech in these ways was good.  I know it’s not. 

Today I’m challenged and I invite us to pray that God’s glory will be seen through us at all times.

Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for the beauty we see in the sky, whether the daytime or nighttime sky.  We try to understand Your greatness and the sky is one of the first places that reminds us that You are so much bigger and more majestic than we can ever get our minds around.  Help us to remember Your power and Your creativity in each circumstance where we find ourselves challenges.  Remind us that our limited understanding of how things work will get us into trouble over and over again if we fail to acknowledge Your far superior wisdom and listen for Your guidance.

Along with St Francis of Assisi we pray today that we would preach the gospel at all times and when necessary, use words.  Wherever we walk help us to remember as he reminded us, that it is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.

That’s easier said than done so we know we need Your Holy Spirit to work in us to shape our thoughts and desires and to give us the will and the power to react to people and circumstances as Jesus did.  Keep our focus where it needs to be so we stay steady in Your great love.

… keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne  Hebrews 12:2

It’s easy to read those words and even be grateful for how Jesus did that.  It’s so much more difficult to live that out in whatever the day brings us. 

But with Your help, anything is possible so we ask for your blessing that in this day and this night we would give glory to You, Lord, with or without sounds or words.  May the message of Your goodness go out from us and the earth today be filled with one more expression of Your greatness.  Amen

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.  Psalm 19:14

Why not take a moment both in the daylight and tonight after sunset – whatever time that is where you live – and give thanks for God’s greatness and for how He’s been reflecting that to the world through you today.