Today's Meditation - Monday, September 14, 2020

 Today's Meditation

Read Psalm 19

¹The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

²Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.

³There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard;

⁴yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun,

⁵which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy, and like a strong man runs its course with joy.

⁶Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and nothing is hid from its heat.

⁷The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple;

⁸the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes;

⁹the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

¹⁰More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb.

¹¹Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

¹²But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults.

¹³Keep back your servant also from the insolent; do not let them have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

    This is another favorite psalm.  It opens with the majestic line, "The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork."  And the psalm can be broken into three parts.  

    The first part continues with all of Creation rejoicing and proclaiming the wonder of the Lord for our benefit.  How words are unnecessary, but the voice of creation speaks for itself just by its very existence.

    The second part moves into how scripture does the same, "The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul, the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes..."

    The third part begins in verse 11, "Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward."  This section speaks about how we are to live.  I think it ties both sections together, however.  We are to live by keeping the law of the scriptures AND by caring for the creation.

    The psalm concludes with a wonderful prayer that we should say each morning upon rising, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer."

The Heavens Are Telling - from Franz Josef Haydn's Creation sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.