Reading: Psalm 19:1-6

Psalm 19:1 – “Heaven is declaring God’s glory; the sky is proclaiming God’s handiwork.”

When we were recently in Ireland, we went to several beaches. As a fair-skinned person I easily sunburn, so beaches were not my thing growing up. But as we walked the beach, as we saw the birds in the surf, as we saw and felt the waves, I could sense God’s presence in all of it. The same presence is there when I go outside on a dark night and gaze up into the sky. It is there when I walk along a path in the quiet woods on a sunny day. It is not just the heavens and the sky that declare God’s glorious handiwork.

Creation speaks to us and touches our hearts. As David writes in verses 3 and 4, there is “no speech, no words.” Yet while their voices cannot literally be heard, creation’s “sounds” are all around us and are everywhere. We not only “hear” creation when on a beach, in the woods, on a mountaintop, or gazing at the stars, but we can also “feel” creation as we sense God’s presence in all of the created world.

We live in a busy and hectic world. It is noisy, fast-paced, and demanding. It is easy to get caught up in it, to wake up today and to wonder what happened to Tuesday and Wednesday. When life is like this, we tend to lose touch with the Creator. In these days and seasons of life, it is important to reconnect. Find a few minutes here and there to connect to the created world and to God. Both are always present. Sip a little coffee out on the deck or patio or balcony. Take a short walk in nature. Step outside for a few moments, looking heavenward, breathing deeply, filling your lungs and heart. God is there.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for surrounding us with your presence. Pull us into those moments and places of connection, renewing and refreshing our spirits and minds. And if we can’t quite get there physically, guide us to close our eyes, to quiet the voices, to breathe deeply, and to go to those places in our minds. Even there, you are present. Thank you, God. Amen.