February 6, 2014 - "God Speaks"

**** Just a reminder that this is the last month for me to post using blogspot. Starting in March I will transfer to my own website. I will supply the link at the end of February. Yesterday we examined the beginning of Psalm 19 and spoke of the heavens as God's billboard. God is always communicating with mankind and has since He created us. The Bible declares in Genesis that God walked in the cool of the garden with Adam. Doing what? Communicating. I can't begin to imagine what walking and talking with God in the Garden of Eden must have been like. The closest thing, for me, would be the late afternoon walks along the shore of the beach with just God and I. Oh well... God spoke to Noah and Abraham and changed the course of history. God spoke to Moses from a burning bush and delivered His chosen people - over three million of them - to display His glory and honor His word. Throughout the course of time God has used many, varied techniques to communicate with His creation He so adores and still looks for ways moment by moment to communicate with each of us DAILY. David writes in Psalm 19:1-6 of how God communicates without words and NO ONE can escape His display. There is no language barrier when the sun, the moon, and the stars speak. People around the world comprehend without the symbolic combinations that often limit our human interaction among the nations. Not in the heavens. However, then David reminds us of how God uses the spoken and written word to direct our lives and give us the best hope for right living. Check this out: Psalm 19:7-9 The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. 9 Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of theLord are true; each one is fair. Each of the bold words expresses another attempt by God to communicate. Often people celebrate the beautiful sunset and see God speaking to His creation but the LAWS of God can sometimes communicate something not so beautiful to a host of people. But how many of you know a land without laws = lawlessness = confusion, chaos, and disorder. God's Word, His Laws, His commands are given to help us - not hurt us. In order to receive the instruction of the Lord through His statues, we often need the revealing grace of the Holy Spirit. Or I do. David ends this Psalm declaring how valuable the communication of God really is to us even in the form of a law. He declares, "they are more precious than the finest gold." Let's be honest - when is the last time one of us looked at the commandments of the Lord and saw them as finer than gold? Or sweeter than honey from the honeycomb? I think today we should pause and not simply be grateful for the beautiful sunrise which God uses to say, "good morning." But we should thank Him that He created boundaries and decrees that help keep us morally secure in a world where lawlessness is fashionable. God is speaking in many ways. Are we listening to them all or selecting the easiest frequency? PK