The Testimony of the Heavens - Part 1

.... The Scriptures tell us that Holy Spirit does not speak to us in words of human wisdom, but in a language of spiritual comparisons (1 Corinthians 2:13). But what is this mode of communication like? The Bible both describes it and gives us examples that are similar in concept, which may be more familiar to us. So let’s begin by discussing those similar types of communication, in order to obtain a better ‘feel’ for it all:

.... "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)

.... This passage is quoted by Paul in Romans 2, 8 and 10 as a basis for solid Christian doctrine. Somehow, the face of the heavens conveys an open message about God to us all. But we are still talking about spiritual mysteries so we must open our hearts to discern the deeper testimony that is being offered. Let's begin by talking in terms of human experience:
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.... Think for a moment of a cold winter day. It’s misty, and the sky is full of overcast clouds. They are low, mingling with the mist, and full of the threat of snow. But there’s no wind so they are churning sluggishly and tumultuously. Quietly, the evening begins to fall.

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.... You’ve gone for a lonely walk in the park, and your gaze is drawn overhead. Perhaps you’ve been moody, and the face of the sky seems to mirror your mood, so that you begin to feel somber in your spirit. As you walk you begin to pray, and somehow you feel closer to God as the sky above you moans and travails, churching softly in this gray and silver gloom. In a subtle, tender way, it’s a reflection of the turmoil in your own heart, in the things you’ve anticipated in your prayer:

.... "For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body."

(Romans 8:22-23)

.... Now let’s describe something completely different. Suddenly it is summer again, and you’re standing at the Grand Canyon’s edge, looking over a vast distance to the western rim of the world. The heavens are a splendor in a painted desert sunset. Fluorescent reds and pinks, burnt orange, and shining yellow sunbeams fill the skies with their glowing banners.

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.... The sun, like a simmering ball, is slipping beneath the horizon; the skies are alive with a blaze of color, playing of God’s glory to the height of the heavens, like playful children who do not know it is time for bed. A grand farewell, a final goodnight, in salute to Him to paints the skies with His heavenly pallet from above.

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.... In your own spirit, could you not absorb the grandeur, the sense of exhilaration, to join in the heavenly celebration from above? How uplifting to the soul! And any man from any nation, whatever his earthly language, could feel creation’s song in his heart along side of you. Indeed, have they not all heard?

.... "There is no speech or language where their voice is not hear. Their line is gone out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world."

(Psalm 10:3,4; Romans 10:18)

.... Essentially, the face of the heavens convey a mood, a deep moving, like the motion in our own spirits when we’re deeply moved, or when we’re deeply impressed with something. And that mood in the heavens is something we can pick up on in our own spirits.
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.... As we pick up on this testimony it makes us thoughtful, and this is conducive to communication with our spirit. So if God is trying to communicate something deeply to us, that thoughtful attitude in our heart can help convey His message; for a spiritual comparison can be made between the face of the sky on one hand and what the Lord’s trying to say to us on the other. It introduces a concept through an impression, and our own hearts lend themselves to understanding it.

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We will continued this discusson in our next posting.

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Daily Bible Reading: Acts 5