The Last Day of the Month

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4 ESV). Every month I seem to get to the end of it and not realize where it all went! It appears the older I get the more time passes more quickly than before. I find it both disconcerting and convicting. I wonder if I have really squandered such a precious gift as time. I always seem to have unfinished projects and plans yet to be executed. I have a wonderful stack of lumber that was given to me over the winter. It is red cedar, poplar, and walnut. I can see within that stack some beautiful pieces of furniture; but, I have yet to make the first cut. I have another project constructed, but not stained or finished. I know it wouldn’t take long; however, another month has passed! I sometimes am reminded that my relationship with the Lord does that too. It is not that I don’t want to read the Bible or pray; it just becomes too easy to procrastinate. The psalmist of our reading today must have felt some of that frustration. He looks to the heavens and finds a declaration of His glory. He sees the work of God in everything created. All of this reminds him of the incredible glory of God. I suppose that this last day of April ought to do the same for each of us. We have seen a change of seasons; the beginning of new life all around us in the natural world ought to call us to renew our wonder at the work of Christ in our life. C. S. Lewis wrote: “Nature never taught me that there exists a God of glory and of infinite majesty. I had to learn that in other ways. But nature gave the word glory a meaning for me.” Nature is not the last word, but it is a word about the majesty of our God. The last word was spoken in the Cross. That is the word that has gone to the very ends of the earth. It speaks of a love that poured out mercy on those who in no way deserved such. It speaks of a grace that was completely undeserved. It calls to the center of our soul for a response. My response today is to sit in awe as I am left speechless in wonder. When I think of that I am always drawn to read the Psalms. Over and over again these hymns are written to give us words to express our gratitude. Perhaps you are struggling with that today. Your circumstances have shrouded the glory of your heavenly Father. Take a moment and read a few of these wonderful expressions of glory. Let the words seep into your mind and heart. It is a good way to end this month and begin a new one. Maybe it will even motivate you to finish one of your projects!