Poetry

Summary

In this sermon on Psalm 19, part of the God in Many Voices series, Dominic Jackson reflects on how God speaks through the genre of poetry. Tracing the psalm’s three movements—natural revelation, special revelation, and personal revelation—he explores how God communicates through creation, through Scripture, and within the human heart. Dominic considers why God might choose poetry as a mode of revelation and how attentive reading can open us to the beauty, mystery, and formation the text invites.

Questions for reflection

• How does the beauty of the world around you shape your understanding of God’s character?

• When was the last time you allowed Scripture to move you beyond explanation into awe?

• How might you grow in attentiveness to God’s presence in both the seen and the unseen?

• What hidden assumptions do you bring when reading poetic passages in the Bible?

• What does it mean for you to pray, “May the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight”?