April 18

Praise And Prayer

Praise awaits You, O God, in Zion; to You our vows will be fulfilled. O You who listen to prayer, all people will come to You. — Ps 65:1-2 BSB

What joy is found here! It’s like a lark at dawn, filling the sky with music so intense that it seems as though its tiny throat might burst. The psalmist is in close fellowship with God. He’s enjoying his prayer and praise so much that it feels like all of creation must wake up to share in the joy. His sins and transgressions have been forgiven, and he feels God drawing him into His secret place. Everything in nature now seems to shine with new beauty and light.

The personal pronouns for God—You, Your, Yours—appear at least twenty times in thirteen verses! It reminds us of how Wordsworth spoke of a Presence that moves through everything: "A sublime sense of something deeply infused, whose home is the light of setting suns, the wide ocean, the living air, and the blue sky—a motion and a spirit." The poet loved the meadows, woods, and mountains!

For many of us, too, Nature seems like a thin veil, only partly concealing the glory and beauty of God’s Presence. The bush still burns with fire. The mountain heights are filled with the horses and chariots of angelic protectors. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the skies show His handiwork.” There may be no audible voice or language that human senses can detect, but when our hearts are clean, and our ears are open, we realize that we are in touch with Him—whom we will one day see face to face, but who already reveals Himself to the pure in heart (Matthew 5:8).

Prayer

O God, our Heavenly Father, renew within us a sense of Your presence. Let it be a constant source of peace, trust, and courage on our journey. Amen.