Voice: Doreen
Today is Friday, 24th of July.
The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever.
Amen.
Psalm 19
1 The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voice 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,
5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
6 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.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.
11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
12 Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.
Through the World
In his Reflections on the Psalms, C. S. Lewis wrote of this psalm, “I take this to be the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.”
Psalm 19 can be divided into two parts:
i) Creation: verses 1–6
ii) Word: verses 7–11
It can be said that this psalm is about preaching. This preaching takes place in two ways: through the voice of nature and the voice of Scripture; through creation and through the Torah; through the World Book and the Word Book—or, as Christians often say, through general revelation and special revelation.
In today’s devotion, we will focus on the first half of the psalm. The opening two verses say:
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.
The opening verse presents the thesis of the psalm: the heavens are a symphony of praise. The psalmist invites us to tune our ears to hear, in the cadence of creation, something of who God is—his worth, or glory—and what he has done.
In Genesis 1, God created the world through speech. Now the orderly and beautiful rhythms of creation, from day to day and night to night, resound with those words.
Like two choirs taking turns to sing, day and night continually echo God’s praise. The life-giving cycles of work and rest, warmth and coolness, display the wisdom of God. His handiwork makes a balanced life on earth possible.
Again and again—day to day, night to night—creation tells its story. Its testimony is constant and cyclical.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
At first glance, these verses may appear contradictory. Verse 3 seems to describe the heavens as silent, yet verse 4 speaks of their voice. This “silent declaration” may sound like an oxymoron, but it conveys a poetic truth: although the heavenly bodies make no audible sound, they still communicate. A wordless testimony resounds throughout creation.
The psalm continues:
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
6 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.
The psalmist continues to develop the theme that nature communicates the glory of God, now focusing on the sun. He uses images of human vitality and strength: a bridegroom and an athlete. God has set the sun in place to warm the earth from one end to the other and to sustain its people. Yet through the light and warmth it radiates, the sun also communicates God’s glory and wisdom.
Wherever the sun runs its course, the glory of the Lord can be seen—and, for the psalmist, that means everywhere on earth. Nothing and no one is hidden from its light or heat. The testimony of creation is not only constant—day and night—but also comprehensive: it reaches everywhere.
God uses the heavens to preach to us, and he uses the sun to enlighten, warm, and nourish us.
The question, then, is not whether creation is speaking, but whether we are listening. In the busyness of life, we can move through God’s world without attending to the One whose glory it declares. Psalm 19 invites us to slow down, to look up, and to receive the ordinary rhythms of day and night, light and warmth, work and rest, as witnesses to God’s power, wisdom, and goodness.
Today, take a moment to pay attention to creation. Notice the sky, feel the warmth of the sun, or observe the coming of evening. Let these ordinary gifts turn your thoughts towards their Creator. Give thanks to him for sustaining the world—and for sustaining you.
We end with this collect:
Gracious God, you reveal your goodness
in the beauty and diversity of creation;
in the circle dance of earth and air and water;
in a universe rich in processes
that support growth and coherence,
distinctiveness and community;
and above all in the gift of Jesus Christ,
who emptied himself to serve your world.
And so we offer thanks and praise to you, one God in three persons:
the Author and Source of all,
Christ the Incarnate Word,
and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Be blessed by this song, Hallelujahs by Chris Rice.
A purple sky to close the day
I wade the surf where dolphins play
The taste of salt, the dance of waves
And my soul wells up with hallelujahs
A lightning flash, my pounding heart
A breaching whale, a shooting star
Give testimony that you are
And my soul wells up with hallelujahs
Oh praise Him all His mighty works
There is no language where you can’t be heard
Your song goes out to all the Earth
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!
O cratered moon and sparrow’s wings
O thunder’s boom and Saturn’s rings
Unveil our Father as you sing
And my soul wells up with hallelujahs
Oh praise Him all His mighty works
There is no language where you can’t be heard
Your song goes out to all the Earth
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!
The pulse of life within my wrist
A fallen snow, a rising mist
There is no higher praise than this
And my soul wells up
O my soul wells up
Yes my soul wells up with hallelujahs
Oh praise Him all His mighty works
There is no language where you can’t be heard
Your song goes out to all the Earth
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!
O hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!
Link to today’s Morning Office
About This Daily Devotion
This weekday devotion is drawn from the Morning Office and is part of a project initiated by Revd Canon Terry Wong, with contributions from clergy and members across various parishes. Each entry includes selected readings from the appointed Psalm and another Scripture passage, accompanied by a reflection and prayer. An audio option is also available, often ending with a hymn or song. We encourage you to both read and listen. Unless otherwise stated, the reflections are written by Revd Wong.
Our aim is to help Anglicans engage more deeply with our rich liturgical tradition, while meeting the devotional needs of today’s believers. This project began on Ash Wednesday 2025 and is offered on weekdays only.
For feedback, please write to us at info@mpcc.org.sg. We also welcome donations to MPCC. Information on how you may give can be found in this link.
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