Flaming Tongues Above

But he said, "If they kept quiet, the stones would do it for them, shouting praise." 

Luke 19:40, the Message

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

I heard a shouting match yesterday. It went something like this:

"I love to clap my hands in praise to God. But today, clapping is not enough. I must shout it over the rooftops and all around this neighborhood."

And the tree right down the street voiced, "My street has given Him a standing ovation and now we are all shouting in unison,

You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.   

Psalm 65:11

"Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise."

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise his Name, I’m fixed upon it, mount of Thy redeeming love.

 

And then I hear these lines from Elizabeth Barrett Browning, one of my all-time favorite writers whose poetry I had to memorize in high school--

“Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; 

But only he who sees, takes off his shoes --

first one cries out and then the other--

Today I can't help but see Him in a tree, no in two trees, no, actually hundreds of trees in my neighborhood--no actually, I can even see Him in the rocks in our neighborhood.

Remember this scripture?

But he said, "If they kept quiet, the stones would do it for them, shouting praise."

Well, we've got some rocks and stones in our neighborhood that won't exactly let the trees do all the crying out in praise.

Here's one--just a little guy!

This is the street level side view of a neighbor's house,

and the front view of the same house--bet Google "street view" goes crazy on this one--

and this guy really shouts out his praise loud and clear

just in case you thought it was trick photography,  I got a picture with some perspective for you--

You know what is so amazing though--the rocks and the minerals of the earth actually have a part in the world-wide shouting out taking place through proclaiming God's name to the nations by satellite television.  Two of the materials satellites are made of is graphite and aluminum--

the things God made calling out the good news of God--

"deep calls to deep"

The deep things of the earth call to the deep things of God

while flaming tongues from above sing His praise!