by Pastor Douglas Brauner

Seeing God’s Word and World

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”
Psalm 119:18 English Standard Version

I’m taking a darkroom class at the Bemis School of Art here in Colorado Springs. I’ve wanted to take this class for some time but have been prevented from attending because of work. Now that I’m semi-retired, I made it a point to sign up as soon as the class was offered.

And I have not been disappointed.

In my house, I have a bathroom without windows. I use this bathroom as a darkroom. I was gifted an enlarger, I have purchased the necessary equipment and chemicals. I have watched YouTube videos and made prints even before I took this class, but our instructor has opened my eyes to things I never would have thought of.

The priest who penned Psalm 119 sings of the Master Teacher who removed the cover from his eyes so that he could see the beauty of God’s Torah, his law.

Another teacher of mine from my seminary days, opened my eyes to the word, “Torah”. Our English translations consistently translate it with our word, “law”. When translated only as law, it implies that the psalmist is speaking of what we are to do.

My professor was quite animated when he said that Torah was much more than law. Yes, it included the commands God gave his people, commands that he expected them to keep, but it also contained God’s good news for his covenant people: the good news of their salvation from slavery and the gift of the Promised Land.

Today, we still sing that God would open our eyes to see wonderful things in his Word. We sing for God to open our eyes to see Jesus and the power of his cross at work in us. We sing for God to open our eyes to the work of the Holy Spirit.

And if you go for a walk today, pray that God would also open your eyes to see the wonder of his creation.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado