The Silent "P" in Psalm 19

Written by Gary Taylor

A while back I had a conversation with a young friend who was wondering why the word "pneumonia" was spelled with a silent "P."

For fun, we carried on the remainder of our conversation by pronouncing a not-so-silent "P" sound in front of other words. I said that my name was Pgary. And my Pdaughter was a middle school Pstudent. I'm sure we were not the first to emphasize a loud "P" sound in front of words like that, but we thought we were quite funny. "Pfunny."

The book of the Bible named "Psalms" is a word that actually does begin with a silent "P."

Read these opening verses of Psalm 19...

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
Their words to the ends of the world.

Nature - God's handiwork - declares God's glory much like the "p" in Psalms: silently. I am in awe of how something so big and majestic communicates in silence.

Try this: On the next clear night, step outside and gaze heavenward. Listen to the stars. Attune your ear to God's silent speech. Allow creation to quietly lead you to worship God in the fullness of His glory. Listen in reverence as the hushed heavens echo throughout your Psoul.

Tim PerkinsComment