A few years ago, I spent a week at a reservation in Tselani Valley, Arizona. The air was always dry and the sun was always high in the sky. During the day, you could see rough grassland, scorched by the sun, stretching all the way to the horizon. When the sun would set every night, you would see something truly special. 

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As I watched from the porch, the night sky would light up with an array of colors that I swear I have never seen anywhere else. As the sun would slowly disappear into the horizon, the sky looked like it was on fire. It’s like the world was mourning the sun’s departure, descending into the earth in a blaze of glory. Or perhaps it was celebrating the day that had just been and would never be again, while eagerly anticipating the day that would follow.

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These are moments that silence our thoughts and leave us in passive awe.

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I think that it was in an attempt to describe such a moment that David wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.”

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To David, it was like the sky itself was shouting about the goodness of God.

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It’s these moments that make me realize that there is something intrinsic within the fabric of our world that declares God’s glory.

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It’s like creation is worshipping its Creator, and we’re all spectators. 

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When Jesus was entering into Jerusalem, the people began to celebrate and praise Him as the coming king. The Pharisees weren’t having it and told Jesus to rebuke His disciples.

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Jesus replied, “If they keep quiet, the rocks will cry out.”

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If the PEOPLE will not cry out, the rocks will. If the PEOPLE will not sing praises, the skies will. If PEOPLE will not bow down, the mountains will. Isaiah says the mountains sing and the trees clap before God.

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The angels in God’s throne room are constantly crying “holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty, the whole earth is full of his glory.” It’s as if the NATURAL RESPONSE of all creation to God’s holiness is to give Him glory. Every moment. Every day. Forever. 

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If the world was created to give God glory, then it doesn’t have a choice. The rocks cry out because they have to. The skies proclaim the works of God whether they want to or not. Light and the rest of the universe began to exist in obedience to His command. Every day, they continue to worship because they must.

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The only thing in all of creation that can choose not to is people. The rocks must cry out, but people can choose not to. The skies must proclaim, but people can choose not to. Even demons must tremble, but people can choose not to. In fact, they often choose not to.

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People can decide that they don’t feel like crying out today. People can decide they’re not in the mood or in the right environment. People can decide that they don’t “feel” God today and that therefore, today, He’s not worthy of their praises. People can even choose to cry out for something else.

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I’ve found that what pleases God is when a person worships Him, voluntarily. A person that chooses to obey when it’s easier not to. A person that has many things on his schedule but chooses to spend time with God. A person who proclaims in the midst of all other lovers in the world, “I am my Beloved’s and He is mine!”

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God was moved by David’s proclamation that the “one thing” he desired was to be in God’s presence. God was moved by the woman who decided to pour out the entirety of her alabaster jar at His feet. God was moved by Abraham leaving his home, his father, and his father’s gods in obedience to God’s command. He was so moved that God called him His friend.

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I don’t want to be just a follower of Jesus. I want to be His friend. I don’t just want to a spectator but an active participant in the symphony of worship happening all around me. I want to be a lover who can’t help but proclaim his love from the rooftops. I want to be a man who wakes up every day saying,

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“God, today, and every day, I choose you! There is no place I’d rather be than in Your presence. There is no one who loves me more and no one who I love more. Every moment. Every breath. It’s Yours! It’s all Yours!”

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By His grace, He gave me a choice to worship Him today. I don’t intend to waste it. I won’t let the skies praise without me.

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I won’t let the rocks cry out in my place.