A Heart Of Gratitude

Psa 19:1-6 HNV » For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows his handiwork.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech, And night after night they display knowledge.

3 There is no speech nor language, Where their voice is not heard.

4 Their voice has gone out through all the eretz, Their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,

5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, Like a strong man rejoicing to run his course.

6 His going forth is from the end of the heavens, His circuit to its ends; There is nothing hidden from its heat.

My boyhood hero was American frontiersman Davy Crockett. In the book David Crockett: His Life and Adventures, Davy encounters a beautiful sight that causes him to launch into praise to the Creator. The writer describes it this way: “Just beyond the grove there was another expanse of treeless prairie, so rich, so beautiful, so brilliant with flowers, that even Colonel Crockett, all unaccustomed as he was to the devotional mood, reined in his horse, and gazing entranced upon the landscape, exclaimed, ‘O God, what a world of beauty hast Thou made for man! And yet how poorly does he requite Thee for it! He does not even repay Thee with gratitude.’” Crockett recognized that the Creator’s handiwork demands a response of thankfulness—a response that is often neglected or ignored.

The psalmist wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Ps. 19:1). God’s handiwork is a spectacle that, rightly understood, should not only take our breath away but should inspire us to worship and praise our God as it did the psalmist.

Davy Crockett was right—encountering the wonders of God’s creation should inspire, at the least, a heart of gratitude. Are we grateful?

Gustafson » Across the expanse God stretched out His creation—
Established the stars, gave the earth its foundation;
His strength claims our worship, His power our fear;
Yet Calvary’s cross sets us free to draw near.

God’s glory shines through His creation.

http://odb.org/2012/04/16/a-heart-of-gratitude/
"Fair Use For Educational or Discussion Purposes"