The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There’s no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world.
– Psalm 19:1–4
So we have this picture in Psalm 19 of what Romans 1 teaches that all creation is shouting the glory of God, and there is no place in the world, no language where God’s glory is not being displayed in creation to everyone in the world.
Psalm 19:1–4 Pictures God’s Magnificence Through Creation
His invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature are clearly seen Romans 1 says. “So that men are without excuse, there is no one who cannot behold the glory of God in creation around them.”
But that’s just it. Psalm 19 paints this picture of God’s glory and creation being universal. But then you get Psalm 19:7, and God’s glory and His word is even more powerful and more necessary. Verse seven starts talking about the law of the Lord and the effects of God’s Word to revive the soul and rejoice the heart and enlighten the eyes and warn people and lead them to reward in God in a way that creation can’t do. And this is so important for all of us to realize.
I just picture hiking, with me, in the Himalayas and seeing God’s glory and creation in such grand ways all around you. Beauty, majesty on display in those mountains, and everyone in the villages on those mountainsides sees the glory of God in this way. But then you go into village after village after village, and they don’t have God’s Word in their language, and no one has ever shared the good news at the center of God’s Word about Jesus.
Psalm 19:1–4 Reveals God’s Testimony Through Creation
You realize what this means. It means all of the people in these villages have enough knowledge of God to show that he is glorious and that they have sinned against him. Just keep reading in Romans 1. Although they knew God that neither glorified him as God or thinking became futile, foolish hearts were dark and they claim to be wise. Exchange became fools exchange the glory, the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
In other words, they have all turned aside from God to other lesser gods and idols in this world. And if no one shares the word of God with them, that’s the end of their story. They see God and they reject God, and nobody’s told them the word of God that has power to enlighten their eyes and lead them to the reward that’s found in God through Jesus.
This is why we pray all the time on this podcast for unreached people, because every follower of Jesus who has the word of God. We must live and pray, give and go. However, God leads, play whatever part God is leading us to play, to get His word throughout the world. Creation and His glory on display and creation is insufficient to save. God’s word alone can save.
Praying for the Unreached
So God, I pray that you would please help all of us to play whatever part you are calling us to play, and the spread of your word to the ends of the world, that your voice in your word, through us, through our praying and our giving, and our going would spread throughout the earth, your word to the end of the world, that people might not just see your glory in creation, but receive your grace in your word. In Jesus’ name, we pray according to your word in Psalm 19. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
