Author Holly Reimer
Psalm 19
Reflection: v. 3, ‘Their voices can’t be heard—but their sound extends throughout the world.’
In this particular part of the psalm, the author is offering praise to God through the works of creation. It strikes me as I think about who God is and how I feel God’s presence. God’s presence for me isn’t something I see as I would the presence of my niece or nephew, but it resounds in the way it makes me feel. There are some days when I want to see God enfleshed—I want to see Jesus as the people of Scripture did. Although I cannot see God in this way and at this time, I am able to see God’s presence in my community. Even more, it is in how I experience God’s presence in this communal embodiment: in the compassion of coworkers, in the concern demonstrated by my brothers and sisters, in the playfulness and laughter of members of my community.
I may not ‘see’ God in these moments, but it is something that resounds within me, something that is felt deep in my core. When the psalmist says it is a sound that extends throughout the world, it means that the reverberations are so powerful that there are no limits to where it goes. The glory of God is something that is so simple, yet so profound and powerful that there are no limits. God has come to be present with us through Christ Jesus, and yet there were those who still did not recognize him. But as we draw closer to Good Friday and Easter, we remember that even in the moments where the words and deeds of Christ are neither heard nor seen, the ways God cared for God’s creation continue to be felt throughout the world. God cannot be silenced, hushed, or muted. Our ears may choose not to hear, but the presence of God remains.
Prayer God, may we not let ourselves be hushed, muted, or silenced as we seek to let your love be felt throughout the world. Amen.