The Climb (A Journey Through Psalms for Men)

Psalm 19

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

The heavens declare the glory of God;the skies proclaim the work of his hands.Day after day they pour forth speech;night after night they reveal knowledge.They have no speech, they use no words;no sound is heard from them.Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,their words to the ends of the world.In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,like a champion rejoicing to run his course.It rises at one end of the heavensand makes its circuit to the other;nothing is deprived of its warmth.

The law of the Lord is perfect,refreshing the soul.The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,making wise the simple.The precepts of the Lord are right,giving joy to the heart.The commands of the Lord are radiant,giving light to the eyes.The fear of the Lord is pure,enduring forever.The decrees of the Lord are firm,and all of them are righteous.

They are more precious than gold,than much pure gold;they are sweeter than honey,than honey from the honeycomb.By them your servant is warned;in keeping them there is great reward.But who can discern their own errors?Forgive my hidden faults.Keep your servant also from willful sins;may they not rule over me.Then I will be blameless,innocent of great transgression.

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heartbe pleasing in your sight,Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

I can remember when my wife and I were ten thousand feet above sea level, standing on the balcony of the overlook on Mt. Titlis in Switzerland, gazing in wonder at the Alps spiraling up before us. Snow-capped, towering, magnificent peaks. Tears formed in the corner of my eyes, soon to be frozen by the chilled air. At that moment, I was having a revelation that these mighty mountains stood day and night with one purpose: giving glory to a Great God.

Every mountain range of Earth stands straight and tall whether you or I gaze upon their beauty or not. The stars in the heavens shine each night with no concern if they are observed by human eyes. Trees grow, winds whip, and the seas roar with wave after wave, not because of the merit of humanity but because they are motivated to glorify the God who is immensely inspiring!

Have you ever paused and thought about the fact that God is so good, so righteous, so strong, so kind and gentle, so holy, so pure, so caring, and so incredibly creative, powerful, and intentional that the heavens and the sky can’t help but declare and proclaim His glory? The entire universe is captivated by His person and His work, so much so that since the very beginning of time, every single day has poured forth speech, and every single night has revealed knowledge of this great God. And it’s still not enough. Humans have spent a large amount of effort, time, and focus trying to learn how to master and bend nature to our bidding. What if instead of trying to make creation more like us, we became more like creation?

What if our hearts were so captivated by the immensely inspiring God that every moment of our lives was a symphony of praise and glory?