"Everywhere," you might instinctively reply. But isn't this too vague? By looking for it in a number of different areas we may see sides to it that we would otherwise overlook.
The magnificent nineteenth psalm shows the greatness of God in a variety of different settings. The third is less obvious than the first two.
The first six verses show forth God's glory in creation.
"The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork"
goes the first verse (ESV). The celestial bodies are pictured as chattering away to each other constantly about the majesty of God in creation, in "words" which we pick up only spiritually, not by our organs of hearing. Human beings may boast of their own or someone else's greatness, but the manner in which creation glorifies God is of a totally different order. You cannot hide from it any more than you can hide from the heat of the sun.
All of a sudden, from verse 7, the psalmist takes a different tack and praises the greatness of God in His law. Even when stressing the limitations of God's law, the apostle Paul claims that
"... the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good" (Romans 7:12).
This is despite the fact that God's commandments put us under a death sentence because we can never keep them perfectly! The law is
- perfect
- sure
- right
- pure
- clean
- true
- altogether righteous
- desired
- sweet.
It has many effects as well as qualities:
- reviving
- making wise
- causing rejoicing
- enlightening
- warning
- rewarding
- exposing secret thoughts
- vindicating
- though, as I say, Paul struggled to make spiritual progress precisely because nobody is entirely innocent before God's law. As the Law sheds light on our inmost being, so it gives us the opportunity to reform. Of course, we can only be reformed in God's strength, not our own.
For Christians, the whole of God's written word, not just the Law of Moses, shows forth His greatness. The wisdom writings are profound. The words of the prophets are majestic and challenging. They show forth God's grasp of history because He uses them both to make sense of the present and to foretell what is to come - often in astonishing detail. Then the crowning expression of the greatness of God is found in the gospels, where it is recorded how He sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to die a cruel death and rise again to bring salvation to all who trust in Him.
The wonder of creation and God's wise and perfect written word declare His greatness in different and remarkable ways. But have we exhausted the list in Psalm 19?
No, because at the very end of the psalm comes one further verse. It is a prayer which has often been used by preachers before embarking on their sermon:
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
It says in effect, "When I think and speak, may my thoughts and words be mirrors reflecting your greatness back to you". God's greatness shown in creation; God's greatness shown in His word; God's greatness shown ... through me!
You cannot show forth God's greatness if all that God and others see is your own self-promotion. His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), and in our life submitted to Him. Could someone else gain a glimpse of God's greatness through seeing your devoted life?
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