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Friday, July 11, 2014

Brown's Daily Word 7.11.14

    Praise the Lord for sweet summer.  We spent the last few days camping with Micah, Simeon, Ada, and their parents, Janice and Jeremy.  Jessica and Tom joined us for a couple nights.  We camped along the shores of beautiful Tully Lake, a very rustic and yet very majestic campground located in Western Massachusetts very close to the New Hampshire border.  As we drove to the campgrounds we saw several signs along the roadway warning of "Moose Crossing". 

    As we arrived at camp Simeon, who turned 7 on the 8th of July, had caught a big mouth Bass.  He was so excited and so thrilled to surprise me  with his big catch.  In fact, his daddy prepared the fish for our lunch.  The campground is quite rustic, with a 200 acre man made lake constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers as part of a flood control plan.  No power boats are allowed on the lake ... only kayaks and canoes.  We spent some time canoeing there.  It was a great time with our grandchildren, spending time with them looking at the beauty and the blessings of the Lord through their eyes. 

    We spent the time in the deep woods under the vast skies, looking at the unhurried sun and the moon.  The stars that were dazzling  and the trees were majestic.  I was reflecting on the amazing Psalm 19.  Looking at verses 1-2, the first thing the Psalmist tells us is that creation declares God's glory and creativity.  Here it talks specifically about the heavens and the skies.  We see the sun marching across the sky in verses 5-6 being used as an image of majesty.  However, these are only symbols indicating the broader sweep of creation.  Everything in creation declares God's glory and presence.

    Paul, in Romans 1:20 makes the point: "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power, his divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made..."  The first part of Psalm 19 speaks of God revealing Himself through creation; theologians call this "general revelation".  The second part of the Psalm talks about God revealing himself in a special way — through Scripture.  Verses 7-11 focus on this special form of revelation.  Through His Scriptures God reveals Himself, while through creation, God reveals His glory.  Through the Scriptures, God reveals His will by means of  law, statutes, precepts, commands, and ordinances.  The Psalmist declared that the Scripture is perfect, trustworthy, radiant, and more precious than gold.

    Scripture reveals details about God's character and his expectations of his creatures.  According to Psalm 19, God's revelation in creation is enough to show that He exists and He is glorious.  God's revelation in Scripture is also trustworthy and is our guide for life.

    God's Word gives us certain knowledge about his character and desires.  "For the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) 

    God reveals his glory through creation.  He reveals his character through Scripture.  Best of all and above all, God uses this knowledge to shape us and  transform us. In Psalm 19:12-14 we have a prayer for forgiveness of sin.  Here also we have a prayer that our words and thoughts might be pleasing to God.  David was praying that the Scriptures would have their effect on him.  In response to God's revelation, David repented his sin and desired to do what is right.  He asked  God to forgive him and to empower him for  living a life that would bring glory to His Name. 

    I love the the story of Helen Keller, the little girl who was blind, deaf, and unable to speak.  I love to read  how Annie Sullivan persisted in teaching her how to communicate, first by writing letters on her hand, then by reading Braille.  Annie even taught Helen how to speak by the age of 10.  Shortly thereafter, Helen Keller was introduced to Phillips Brooks, the famous Episcopal preacher from Boston. As they sat, knee to knee, Brooks began to tell Helen, by writing the letters on her hand, the story of Jesus.  Suddenly, Helen jumped up and croaked out, "I knew him.  I knew him.  I just didn't know his name!"  She knew him — she knew he was there, but only in the shadows until that time.  It took Phillips Brooks proclaiming the story from Scripture to for it to click. She would later write, "The Bible is the record of man's efforts to find God and learn how to live in harmony with his laws." The shadows that she knew in that dark and quiet world became clearer through the light of Scripture proclaimed to her.  

In Christ,

  Brown

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