in my own words:

Psalm 19: 7-11
7 The law of the Lord, the self existent One, is complete and true.
There is nothing in it that would detract from its purpose,
to bring man into a right relationship with his Creator, God.
The law is necessary in order to restore man
to the relationship that God intended between man and Himself.
Its mandates, its commands, are trustworthy.
They can be counted on to bring wisdom
into the mind, into the thinking patterns, and into the actions
of those who are receptive, teachable.
8 The commands of the Lord are just and upright.
They cheer or make glad the core of man ~
his feelings, his will, his intellect.
They are clear and they radiate with light,
changing one's outward appearance or countenance.
9 The authority of the Lord is rightly His
and it will last throughout eternity.
His judgments are delivered with no vacillation
and are righteous and just, to the core.
No one can contest them.
10 They are more to be desired than gold,
than the purest of gold.
They are more delightful and pleasing than honey,
even honey dripping from the comb.
11 These laws, commands, and judgments
are given so that those who are in God's service,
his bond servants,
are alert to and protected from the dangers surrounding them.
They are as a hedge of thorns,
there to protect and guard those He calls His own.
Attending to them, observing them will provide
great and abundant reward.

Twila Charles Leichty
01/07/2012

Psalm 19:1-6

PSALM 19:1-6

1 The heavens declare the glory of God
and skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.

In my own words:

1 The expanse of the heavens,
that which we can see and that which is beyond our sight,
has God's signature scrawled over it.
His fingerprints are evident on all that is seen and known
in the created world.
2 Each day, through all of time, speaks abundantly, elegantly, and eloquently of God;
each night reveals, displays His knowledge and master craftsmanship.
3 This is a language that all understand,
regardless of their native tongue.
4 This proclamation (of God's glory) is made visible for the whole world to see,
its echoes reverberate, reaching all people everywhere.
The heavens house the sun
5 and from this place it emerges,
hastening eagerly and gladly on it's well-trodden path.
6 It rises in the east and travels its route, setting in the west.
In the course of a day, nothing is hidden from its light and warmth.

Twila Charles Leichty
01-12-2012