Wednesday, March 10 – Written by Margot Jewell
A Psalm of David in Three Parts – Psalm 19
This inspiring psalm is a reminder of how we can experience God through our day-to-day experiences.
The heading, “To the Chief Musician, a Psalm of David,” informs us that the author, David, committed this psalm to the master of the service to use with the assembled worshippers. This song has three distinct parts.
The first part (verses 1-6) portrays how God’s creation reflects God’s glory. Along with passages from the book of Genesis and John Milton’s Paradise Lost, Psalm 19 was aptly utilized by Haydn when he composed his magnificent oratorio “The Creation.” He set to magnificent music the first verse “The heavens are telling the glory of God” (see links to music, below).
This chorus has often been present in my mind during this difficult pandemic year. One of the positive side effects of this time is that my husband and I have been able to live at a country home. We have been able to marvel at the gorgeous sunrises that look a little different each day. The gradually increasing light announces that dawn is arriving before the sun actually appears. There is the certainty that, even if clouds are in the way, the sun is there with us throughout our day, warming and nourishing us. The constancy and beauty of creation is certainly a powerful reflection of God’s power and love, giving us hope each day.
The second part (verses 7 to 11) shows how the word depicts God’s grace. The psalmist says God’s Word is to be desired more than gold and it is sweeter than the honeycomb, giving wisdom and guidance to our lives. During this challenging year, we have been fostered more than ever by our community of faith as we reflect on the scriptures together in our virtual worship times and small group studies.
What is our response? The third part of this psalm/song is David’s prayer for grace. He gives us a wonderful model of how praise and prayer are apt responses to our experiences of God’s creation and God’s word.
Pondering the glory of God as seen in creation and heard in the Word provides me with an assuredness that God is with me, with all of us, even in this difficult time. The hope and strength that come with this knowing are blessings to be shared.
Prayer: Thank you, God, for revealing yourself to people everywhere. Help us to be mindful of your goodness and holiness instead of being overwhelmed by fear. Give us the eyes to see and ears to hear as you reveal yourself to us. Amen
Here are two links to Hayden’s marvelous piece of music, “The Creation.” The first link is in German and the second in English. Pour yourself a cuppa, look out at the sky and let the music wash over you.