Jason Silver

Friday, September 13th, 2019

Have you ever walked up to a tree, put your hand on it's bark, and wondered about that tree's consciousness? If so, you may be not too far off from reality. Science is discovering that plants communicate with each other, by releasing odorous chemicals, which can warn of insect invasions, drought, or disease.

When I find really old trees, I wish they had some way of communicating with me. I'd love to know how the world seemed, when they were just young saplings.

David didn't know the science of plant talk, but he also noticed that creation seems to be "pouring forth" speech. He acknowledges that it's not a sound we can hear, there are no words, and yet a voice goes out through all of the earth, revealing knowledge.

This led me to really think about the sort of knowledge that creation could share with me. What was David hearing? Do other creatures of the earth have a more intimate awareness of God? Could a tree, a termite, a tapir or a tarantula tell us about the right way to live, or something about the heart of God?

I've come to think of this "sound," as a communication based on observation. It's up to me to see and sense this voice from God, in the world around me.

My dog doesn't seem to worry about much, and I have observed other animals going about their lives with a kind of relaxed pleasure. I've mentioned before, the time I watched a squirrel bathing in the warm sunlight, just perched on a tree, eyes closed, face to the sun.

Thinking about the voice of creation, I can't help but consider my own voice. Am I joining the choir of worship, testifying to the Great Love that permeates everything, or am I a discordant clash, in aural disagreement with the melodies of creation?

As David says at the end of this Psalm, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer!"

Amen! That is surely what I long for.