Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "Look Up " for Monday, 25 August 2014 - Read Psalm 19:1-9

Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "Look Up " for Monday, 25 August 2014 - Read Psalm 19: A David Psalm
1-2 God’s glory is on tour in the skies,
    God-craft on exhibit across the horizon.
Madame Day holds classes every morning,
    Professor Night lectures each evening.
3-4 Their words aren’t heard,
    their voices aren’t recorded,
But their silence fills the earth:
    unspoken truth is spoken everywhere.
4-5 God makes a huge dome
    for the sun—a superdome!
The morning sun’s a new husband
    leaping from his honeymoon bed,
The daybreaking sun an athlete
    racing to the tape.
6 That’s how God’s Word vaults across the skies
    from sunrise to sunset,
Melting ice, scorching deserts,
    warming hearts to faith.
7-9 The revelation of God is whole
    and pulls our lives together.
The signposts of God are clear
    and point out the right road.
The life-maps of God are right,
    showing the way to joy.
The directions of God are plain
    and easy on the eyes.
God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold,
    with a lifetime guarantee.
The decisions of God are accurate
    down to the nth degree.
The psalmist wrote, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”(Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV))
One evening while on holiday, we went to an outdoor entertainment event, which culminated with our standing in darkness under a magnificent canopy of trees. We were told to close our eyes just for a moment and then to look up. When we opened our eyes, we found that hundreds of lights had been strung among the branches — quite an enchanting sight!
As we drove back to our accommodations through an area with no lights, we looked up to see that the whole sky was covered with brilliant stars — a sight which far exceeded the artificial light display we had seen earlier.
At all times, but especially when we are in need of comfort and assurance, it is important to lift our eyes and look beyond the cares and concerns of our earthly life that can cloud our vision. As we do, we realize that we are in the hands of the great God of the universe. God is no distant figure, as Jesus revealed, but is here with us, sharing our lives and walking with us each day.
The Author: William David Willis (New South Wales, Australia)
Thought for the Day: God’s love shines through our cares and concerns.
Prayer: Gracious God, in every situation of our lives help us to be aware of your nearness and your love reaching out to us. Amen.
Prayer focus: People on vacation
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