May 27, 2026 | by Lisa Young
“The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.”
This is an astounding statement.
The heavens,
spoken into existence by God in the beginning of the beginning,
declare their creator’s glory without a word.
The skies,
star-spangled and lofty grey and brilliant blue,
home to black holes and galaxies and sun,
those skies proclaim his handiwork.
Day into night. Night into day. Time immemorial, unbounded by space.
When Adam saw first light, he heard it.
When hailstones stormed over Egypt and the sun stood still over Gibeon, the nations heard it.
In hazy summer sunsets and in staggering shots of Earthset from the far side of the moon, we hear it, the universe wordlessly revealing the invisible God.
But are we listening?
We are, at best, hard of hearing. Sin dulls our senses. So God magnifies the chatter of the heavens through his Word. His Word is worth a thousand thousand pictures:
“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.
By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”
God’s statutes and law, his perfect decrees, with their immeasurably sweet riches, wisdom, warnings, joy and light, expound his eternal power and divine nature.
And our own flawed humanity:
“But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,
Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
How can we be pleasing to God?
Enter the Redeemer.
Jesus, the one through whom all created things came into being, becomes flesh. The creator enters his creation so we might behold the glory of God.
A star proclaims his birth. The magi listen.
He proclaims good news: He has come to fulfill the law, to open eyes, to set captives free. Few listen.
So they kill him. The innocent is crucified so that our faults, hidden and otherwise, might be forgiven and sin’s rule might end.
Darkness accompanies his death. The centurion listens.
Three days later, dawn reveals an empty tomb. The women listen.
Jesus talks to his disciples. He commissions them to preach good news, to proclaim the glory of God to the ends of the world. They listen.
The heavens, the Word, the Word made flesh, and the preached word declare the glory of God. It is the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the message of salvation for all with eyes to see and ears to hear.
Are you listening?
After forty days, Jesus ascends into heaven. The people look up. A cloud obscures their view.
When Jesus returns the sky will go dark, but nothing will obscure our view.
“The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light;
the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth will mourn; and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”
The heavens will proclaim his glory loud and clear. Some will mourn, others rejoice.
But everyone will listen.
Look up! God is speaking to us.
Listen. And rejoice.
Scripture References (NIV)
Psalm 19
Genesis 1
Exodus 9:18
Joshua 10:9-13
Romans 1:20
John 1:1-3, 14
2 Corinthians 4:4
Matthew 2:2
Matthew 5:17
Luke 4:16-21
Isaiah 53:3-6
Luke 23:44-47
Luke 24:1-10
Acts 1:2-3
Matthew 28:16-20
Romans 10:14-18
Acts 1:9-11
Matthew 24:29-31
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
About Lisa Young
Lisa has worked for NETS for over 20 years, most recently as editorial director, which is her way of getting paid to play with words. She fell in love with Vermont during college, and with Doug, a Vermont native, shortly after. Together they’ve raised three children and are having a blast watching their grandchildren grow up in the Green Mountain State.
Worth Writing 