The Primacy of Prayer (7)

The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world. Psalm 19.1-4

Listen up!
When someone is talking to you, it’s a good idea to pay attention. And when that Someone is your Savior, King, and Lord, it’s even more important that you listen up and respond accordingly.

We mentioned previously that Jesus Christ upholds the universe and everything in it by His Word of power (Heb. 1.3). In a sense, a mysterious and spiritual sense, the Word of God speaks continuously to the creation, in all its details, everywhere, concerning everything. Secular scientists describe the universe as operating on the basis of certain material or physical laws. The stuff of this world is what it is and does what it does because of the laws of matter and physics.

Well, that’s only partially true. The laws of the universe are not prescriptive, that is, they do not cause the world to be as it is. Rather, they are descriptive, they describe the world as it is, and as the Word of God upholds it in His steadfast love and faithfulness. Jonathan Edwards put it this way: “It is by the immediate influence of God upon things according to those constant methods which we call the laws of nature, that they are ever obedient to man’s will, or that he can use them at all.”

The world is what it is, and as it is, because the Word of God continually speaks to it, maintaining and sustaining it by His own power. And because He speaks to the world, He also speaks through it, revealing in and through created things His glory, goodness, wisdom, power, and love. The “line” of Christ’s speech “has gone out through all the earth.” He is always speaking, always making Himself known, always keeping up His end of the prayer conversation to which He calls us always and in everything.

Are we listening?
Most people simply aren’t listening to the Word of God as He speaks to us through the world. Those who do not believe in God hear His voice, but choose to ignore it (Rom. 1.18ff). Those who believe hear His voice and see His glory at certain times, when they are confronted by some particularly impressive manifestation of the glory of the Lord, whether in a sunset, a storm, a beautiful landscape, or some other created wonder.

But the Lord is speaking continuously to us through the things He has made, and, at the very least, we need to learn to pay a bit more attention, because we can find in the revelation of God, in created things, abundant matters to remark on, give thanks for, and offer praise to God in prayer.

We are at every moment subject to some word from the Lord, something in the creation that speaks of Him, reveals something about Him, and invites us to respond. The Scriptures teach us what to look for in these works of God, so they can guide us in what to seek and how to hear the Lord, as He helps us, through the revelation He provides in creation, to keep up our always and without ceasing conversation with Him.

Revealed in His works
Psalm 145 offers guidelines for seeing and hearing the revelation of God in creation. The creation bears witness to the power of the Lord (vv. 4, 6, 11). It speaks to us of His splendor and majesty (vv. 5, 12), invites us to remark on and talk about His many specific acts (v. 6), bears witness to His immensity and greatness (v. 6), proclaims His goodness (v. 7), testifies of His righteousness (v. 7), witnesses to the reality of His Kingdom (vv. 11, 13), and leads us to encounter His glory, that is, His very presence with us (v. 11). All the works of the Lord, speaking to us about Him in all these ways, remind us “The LORDis near to all who call upon Him” (v. 18). I take this to mean that, as we observe or hear the Word of God speaking to us in any of these ways, and if we respond with praise, thanks, or supplication to what we see or hear, the Lord will draw near to us, reveal Himself and His glory to us, and “will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him: He will also hear their cry and save them” (v. 19).

All around us, creation is speaking to us about the Lord. He is in all, through all, over all, and for all things. We can train our eyes and ears to discern the revelation of God in creation, and thus enhance our ability to keep conversation with the Lord throughout the day, listening and observing even while doing other things, uttering silent praises and storing up words to pour forth when we arrive at our next oasis of prayer in our daily journey.

I find it helpful to jot down observations of the Lord’s revelation in creation. That way I impress them more firmly on my mind, and I have a reminder to turn to as I go to prayer, as well as an invitation to deeper meditation and prayer at some later date.

The Lord is speaking, and we are communing with Him in prayer as we listen, observe, and respond, if only with wonder, amazement, and gratitude of heart at the continuous, unfailing, and manifold demonstrations of His faithfulness and love. Let the love of Christ, revealed in His world, be a continuous reminder to you of the primacy of prayer, as you travel this world’s journey of faith with Him each day.

For reflection
1.  When have you ever seen or heard the Lord in some aspect of the creation? What did He speak to you about Himself?

2.  Why is it so easy for us to overlook the presence of the Lord in creation, so that we fail to see or hear Him there? How can we improve in this matter?

3.  What would be some reasonable responses to the Word of the Lord through creation?

Next steps – Boasting in the Lord: Jot down ways that you hear or see the Lord in the world around you. Respond accordingly in prayer. At some point during the day, share an observation with a Christian friend, and invite your friend to respond.

T. M. Moore
Each of our “next steps” exercises is tied into goals and disciplines involved in working your Personal Mission Field. If you have not yet identified your Personal Mission Field, watch the brief video showing you how to get started right away (click here).

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.