God's glory is proclaimed everywhere you look, but true refreshment comes only from His Word.
Read / Listen
Read Psalm 19
Listen to passage & devotional:
Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 113
Q. What is God’s will for you
in the tenth commandment?
A. That not even the slightest
thought or desire
contrary to any one
of God’s commandments
should ever arise in my heart.
Rather, with all my heart
I should always hate sin
and take pleasure in
whatever is right.
Summary
The opening stanza of Psalm 19 is both beautiful and familiar. We're surrounded by beauty: the fertile Great Plains give way to rugged mountains which fall off into deep blue sea. Plants and animals of all types abound everywhere we look, and we can peer both into the microscopic world surrounding us, as well as galaxies billions of miles away. All of this beauty has a singular purpose: to declare the glory of God and proclaim the work of His hands.
This is why Christians have always championed education and exploration to get to know God better. But if you not only want to know God as much as possible, but also experience the true peace and refreshment that such knowledge brings, focus your attention on the second stanza of Psalm 19 (v7-9). Make it your goal to know God's law, statutes, precepts, commands and decrees. In simpler terms, work hard to learn and live in God's Word.
The third stanza (v10-13) explains the value of God's Word: it is more precious than gold and sweeter than honey. It warns you of the danger of sin and points you to great reward.
Dig Deeper
Your sinful nature, which we often refer to as Sarx (a nickname based of the Greek word the Bible uses to describe your old nature), is constantly battling you, trying to pull you away from God's Word by whispering temptations in your ear, so to speak. One of Sarx' most effective tools is getting you to covet: to have even the slightest thoughts or desires contrary to any one of God's commandments. Just a tiny bit of coveting quickly can explode into massively sinful urges and even actions.
To battle Sarx, keep doing what you're doing right now: reading God's Word and digging deeper into it every day. As you're strengthened in God's law, statutes, precepts, commands and decrees, you'll be better equipped to resist sin and join all nature in declaring the glory of God and proclaiming the work of His hands.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our LORD, our Rock and our Redeemer;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that the meditations of your heart may be pleasing in God's sight;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - John 11
