The family and I floated the river this weekend, and it was the first time that we had taken the boys on such an adventure. Link is still young, and I wasn’t sure he would be up for the length of the endeavor, while my main concern with Lex revolved around if he would be interested in something that wasn’t a video game (in his defense, he gets that from his old man). To my delight, my concerns were unfounded!
It turns out that being cooped up for months made my kids want to go outside. Once there, I did not have to do much convincing about what the experience was going to be like. The sky was clear, the grass lush green, and nature was all around. It was powerful, even more powerful than normal if that is even possible.
It would feel silly to say you could hear it calling out to us, except we have the Bible and passages like Psalm 19 that let us know that nature and the heavens, while “silent”, they declare, proclaim, and pour forth speech about the glory of God. The beauty of God’s creation stood in stark contrast to the walls and ceiling that have almost felt like a cage since quarantine began. I was reminded that even if I were to stay in my house forever, the heavens would declare the truth of God Almighty.
It was a beautiful day, the river was up so we didn’t have to paddle too hard, and there was wildlife all around. One thing that was unavoidable all day was the sun. We all applied sunscreen, wore hats, and tried to find what little shade we could as we slowly navigated the water. We were constantly dipping our feet in the water or splashing some on our backs in an attempt to find some relief. No matter what we did, the sun was constantly reminding us it was there.
In verses 4-6, we see sun used as a metaphor for the glory of God. The one that brings life to all things. The one that sustains all things. And just how we felt on the kayak, there is NOTHING that can hide from it. It is comforting knowing that there is a force working for good that is so powerful, so expansive, and so perfect. A comfort I desperately need with the state of our country and world at large.
To say there is a lot going on in our world is an understatement. I would never say we should remove ourselves from our responsibility in those larger conversations, but I do believe it would do us all a little good to turn off the television, close our social media, and step outside and soak some of the wonder that God has created so that we are reminded about whom we serve and all that God as done for us.
Verses 7-14 talk about the goodness of the law and transgressions of man, but those are an adventure for another day!
VC Devotionals 