Thought for May 15, 2024

•  1718: First machine gun patented
• 1862: Department of Agriculture created
• 1869: Susan B Anthony and Cady Stanton form the National Woman Suffrage Association
• 1897: First LGBT rights organization formed in Berlin
• 1905: Las Vegas founded
• 1918: Walter Johnson pitches an 18 inning game winning 1-0
• 1928: Mickey Mouse makes his first appearance in "Plane Crazy" [silent]
• 1930: Ellen Church is the first flight attendant--United from San Francisco to Cheyenne
• 1940: First McDonald's opens in San Bernadino
• 1941: Joe DiMaggio begins his 56 game hitting streak
• 1944: 14,000 Hungarian Jews transferred to Auschwitz
• 1972: Assassination attempt on George Wallace
• 2008: California becomes second state to legalize same-sex marriage
• Born: Frank Baum, Pierre Curie, James Mason, Eddy Arnold, Ken Venturi, Madeleine Albright, George Brett, Dan Patrick, Emmitt Smith, Andy Murray
• Died: Emily Dickinson, Edward Flanagan [Boys Town], Francis Schaefer, June Carter Cash, Jerry Falwell

Thought:

Reading the first 6 verses of Psalm 19 today. As you read these verses, pull up pictures from the Hubble telescope and marvel at His creation. David was probably starring at the heavens when he wrote these words. Paul may have been thinking about this psalm when he wrote Romans 1:19-20: "That which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse." 

Now think about what David says--the heavens are constantly declaring the glory of God and the work of His hands. When we look at the stars, the planets, we see the majesty of the Creator, the power of the Creator, the overwhelming greatness of the Creator. We know that this was not an accident, a fluke, a random occurrence. How gracious is God to provide us with a daily, constant testimony to who He is and what He has done. The heavens do not speak in words, but declares His glory. Looking at the heavens makes me realize how small and insignificant I am and how great and awesome He is. Listening to the heavens speak humbles me and yet brings praises to my lips for the One who placed the stars in space. 

Now think about the last time you really heard the heavens speak. The lights of our world make the glory of the heavens difficult to see. The things of the earth try and drown out the speech of the heavens. I love to walk out by Fish Creek, a side stream of the Snake River, on a clear fall night. The heavens break into a chorus of praise and I stand in awe. Or maybe walk out of the cabin in Death Valley on a warm May night and see His firmament in awesome display. Or take a short walk in Yosemite Valley where most of the ambient light is gone and see myriads of stars and the Milky Way. Then I picture David the shepherd, sitting on the hillside with his sheep. Looking up at the sky he might be singing, "O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy hands have made." 

Blessings

Larry