Wednesday, March 7: Psalm 19
Psalm 19: For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.
11 By them your servant is warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 But who can discern their own errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
I am stuck, as my want-to be-a-writer cousin says, “trying to make friends with a blank piece of paper.” There is so much in Psalm 19, but one word stands out, admittedly, because I want it to. “Hands.” The word isn’t in every translation I’ve read trying to get inspiration, but “hands” appears in many.
God’s hands… Wow! All the things his hands have done cannot be counted, but a few come to mind. He created the heavens and the earth and all things on it in six days, and he molded Adam into his own likeness.
Jesus, God’s son, used his hands in his earthly father’s carpenter shop, turned the money changers’ tables over in the temple, and washed his disciples’ feet.
Our hands can form a fist when we are angry or frustrated. They can participate in a handshake when we greet someone at church. Hands can pat someone on the back to comfort them. We can fold them in prayer any time.
The Roman soldiers used their hands to mock Jesus with a crown of thorns they’d placed upon his head, bound his hands and feet to a cross, held the nails, and then picked up a hammer and pounded those nails into Jesus’ hands.
Hands.