What We Say When We Aren’t Saying Anything
I had a special treat yesterday. I got to hear my husband preach. Our minister was out of town and asked Ray to stand in for him. Ray’s topic was “Why I Believe in God.” His main text was Psalm 19. The first words are these:
The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their utterances to the end of the world.
Psalm 19:1-4
As I listened and thought about the heavens telling of the glory of God without words, I thought about whether I could tell of the glory of God without words. Could I tell of His glory simply by living? Could people see His glory just by watching who I am, what I do, and what expressions are on my face?
As I sat down to write about this to you, I remembered a passage of Scripture that describes someone doing exactly that.
In the same way, you wives,
be submissive to your own husbands
so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word,
they may be won without a word
by the behavior of their wives,
as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.
1 Peter 3:1-2
Just as the heavens tell the glory of God every day and declare the work of His hands, we can do the same thing. We have the double opportunity — and challenge — to do so without a word and with words. God is busy at work in us.
. . . for it is God who is at work in you,
both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Philippians 2:13
One thing He is working on is making us shine in both word and deed.
Whatever you do in word or deed,
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Colossians 3:17
God is patient with us while He transforms us. Our job is to hang tight, to never let go of His goals for us, and never ever to let go of His hand.
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet;
but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind
and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
I press on toward the goal for the prize
of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14