Running with joy

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 is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
Their measuring line goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
Psalm 19:1-6 (ESV)

The other day I was thinking about these verses while taking a break at work. It was a cold day, and overcast, but the thoughts that the sun runs its course with joy brought some brightness to my heart. I imagine David sitting there from sunup to sundown, watching the sheep, and watching the sun climb high in the sky. There may be days where we live that are cloudy and overcast and hide the sun, but for the most part in David's arid climate he would have seen the sun clear every morning. Is it any wonder then, that he would describe the sun as a bridegroom leaving his room and running his course with joy? Darkness covers the night, then dawn comes slowly, but once the sun comes over the horizon, it does it in full strength, and does it quickly. Have you ever sat for those 2 or 3 minutes and watched the sun go from nothing to full power? In that brief time, night is gone and day is instantly here.
The day that I was considering these things, however, was dreary and cold. But just as I was reading the words, "there is nothing hidden from its heat," the clouds hiccuped and for just a moment the sun's light and heat shined right where I was sitting. In an instant my face was warmed. That made me think about the timelessness and unchanging nature of the sun and of the heavens that it lives in. As people we live in a certain spot on the earth that may not at all resemble the spot that someone else lives in, or even if we live in the same spot that some famous person lived in centuries ago, time and progress may have completely changed the landscape around us. But the heavens are--at least in this age--unchanging. That is the same sun that warmed David's face, the same sky with the same stars that Abraham looked into when God promised him many children.
The first part of Psalm 19 speaks of God's revealing himself through creation, and I am glad that he has given us physical people something physical to see and feel that teaches us about him. I think about how God has said that his home is in heaven, the unchanging place; his word is settled in heaven, the unchanging place. And while we look at these unchanging heavens and think about God, we learn from his special revelation that he himself is even more permanent than they are; for one day he will roll them up like a garment and make even them new again.
May we all find new hope in God each time we look to the unchanging heavens, and may his Spirit cause our hearts to rise in joy and--like the sun--live each day in the full vigor of his grace.