Ears That Hear, Eyes That See
Scripture Reading — Psalm 19
The heavens declare the glory of God. . . . They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.
Sam was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he didn’t hear his wife talking to him. That is not just a husband-wife problem; it affects all humanity. Ages ago, God rebuked his people, saying, “Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see! . . . You have seen many things, but you pay no attention; your ears are open, but you do not listen” (Isaiah 42:18-20).
The heavens declare the glory of God in every language of humankind. But what if we don’t listen? It’s as bad as letting someone’s words go in one ear and out the other or, worse, refusing to hear.
During the late 1800s people riding the new transcontinental railway on the Great Plains of America blasted away at herds of buffalo stretching as far as the eye could see, killing hundreds of thousands, leaving the corpses to rot in the sun. Why would they do such an outrageous thing, amounting to a rape of nature? Nothing restrained them because they failed to see in those creatures the majesty of their Creator.
We’ve learned a few things about ecology since then. But we still haven’t got it right. There’s still a widespread blindness and deafness about nature: for example, looking for microscopic life on Mars (a worthwhile scientific effort) but not seeing the Source of all life. Do you see the glory of God that is plainly visible throughout the universe?
Lord, help us see and hear what nature is saying. Move us to understand that you call us to care for your creation, for the benefit of all. Amen.
About the author — George Young
George Young, a native New Yorker, worked as a taxi driver in New York City before studying to become a pastor. Then he, his wife Ruth, and their children were missionaries for many years in northeastern Japan. They worked with ministers and believers from the Reformed Church in Japan to spread the good news of salvation in Christ and establish new churches. Now George and Ruth are retired and live in the northeastern United States, nearer to their children and grandchildren.
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