Psalm 104:24-35 English Standard Version
24 O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom have you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
25 Here is the sea, great and wide,
which teems with creatures innumerable,
living things both small and great.
26 There go the ships,
and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.[a]
27 These all look to you,
to give them their food in due season.
28 When you give it to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
when you take away their breath, they die
and return to their dust.
30 When you send forth your Spirit,[b] they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.
31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works,
32 who looks on the earth and it trembles,
who touches the mountains and they smoke!
33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
and let the wicked be no more!
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord!
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Reflect: When life feels chaotic and messy, it can be wonderfully therapeutic to look at creation and see how marvelously diverse and joyful God made it to be.
There is order, purpose everywhere in God’s good design.
The more we intentionally learn about the earth and its creatures, the more we can thank God and celebrate with Him exactly how completely amazing it is.
Reflect today, If feeling out of sorts or discouraged, try watching a nature documentary about flamingos or weaver birds, cockatoos or hummingbirds.
When you do, consider that Christ was there in the beginning, overseeing everything and taking great delight in the creation of this magnificent planet (Colossians 1:15-20 English Standard Version).
The Preeminence of Christ
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by[a] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Spending time in wonder and awe as we consider God’s extraordinary, well-ordered creation can help us appreciate our place in the order of things too.
This can also lead us to reflect upon our places, feeling grounded and secure rather than tossed about by the sometimes merciless systems created by man.
Reflecting, pondering the marvelous works of God—the mountains; the water cycle; the birds, animals, insects, and sea creatures; and all of the forests and plants they depend upon—all ordered by our God – can also lead us to worship.
Recognizing all of this splendor with gratitude, thanks be to God, can deepen our connections both to God and to his world, filling us with the desire to be the better stewards God calls us to be and lift up our hearts in praise and adoration.
Going Back to the Beginning of All Days – Creation
Do you ever pause and think back to life “back in the day?” No internet, texting, FaceTime, data, or GPS. Funny thing is that those times weren’t too long ago…
We are in such a ridiculously obsessive fast-paced “right now” culture, society.
Going from here to there to all of a sudden thinking where has the day gone?
If you are anything like me, the fast-paced life, while thrilling and exciting, gets the adrenaline and blood pumping, feels exhilarating and exhausting too.
After even a short 45 minute session of intense Cardiac Rehabilitation, my body will literally want to shut down, SO telling me “STOP! it’s time to SLOW DOWN!”
Something that I have come to realize recovering from my Open Heart Triple Bypass Surgery, is how often I am so quick to pass by something, or someone.
Too busy to really slow down, sit, watch, pay attention, because my priority is the destination, recovery from heart surgery, and not the journey to get there.
Let me repeat that again in case you need it, I find that I am more worried about the destination – that feeling of being strong and human – than the journey.
How many of you reading this right now are right there with me?
Too worried about what’s ahead you’re not willing to “stop, smell the roses?”
As I read and reflect upon today’s passage I could not help but read through the entirety of Psalm 104 (which I encourage you to do), it’s’ riddled with the way that ABBA Father God created the Earth and how He takes care of His creation.
In verse 27 it says, “These all look to You, to give them their food in due season.”
I reflected and I was convicted when I read this, convicted: how often do I look to Him to provide, looking, trusting, that He will provide it in the right season?
Can I be honest with you?
The reason that I don’t is because I believe that the Lord doesn’t take notice.
But really, it’s the other way around; I’m too busy reflecting on my healthy self right now to “go forth” take notice of what the Lord has provided, IS providing!
As I continue reading and reflecting on the living Word of God in verse 34 it says, “May my meditation be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the LORD.”
Yet, because I’m so busy in my days, am I taking time to meditate on Him?
His Creation, His goodness? His provision? His creation that is all around me?
Willing my body back to a semblance of health and happiness, something I want to challenge us all in is to take time to really be with the Lord, to take advantage of where He has placed us and the opportunities that we have to rejoice in Him!
Exactly right now, wherever you are existing, whether in a cubicle, at the beach, traveling on the highways, by-ways and subways, or just about to rush out the door – getting to any airport, take some time to pause – and yes you have time.
In the pause, open your eyes, look around you, for all of creation (every tree, flower, person, car, and building), opening your ears to the sounds, is waiting eagerly for God to reveal His children (Romans 8:19), which is you and me.
Reflect today, what would it look like for us then to go against the busyness?
Reflect today, to actually put away the phones? Pull out the old map in the car and simply drive to some far off point on a compass and get lost in creation?
To explore a new part of the city, walk the trails hike that mountain you have been saying you would for the past year, paddle a canoe down a lazy river or to maybe spend some of God’s time to invest in your neighbor for the evening?
Today, this hour, this week, month, and year, let’s live a little differently; more thankfully, to truly be satisfied with the good things that the Lord has given us!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 84 The Message
84 1-2 What a beautiful home, God-of-the-Angel-Armies!
I’ve always longed to live in a place like this,
Always dreamed of a room in your house,
where I could sing for joy to God-alive!
3-4 Birds find nooks and crannies in your house,
sparrows and swallows make nests there.
They lay their eggs and raise their young,
singing their songs in the place where we worship.
God-of-the-Angel-Armies! King! God!
How blessed they are to live and sing there!
5-7 And how blessed all those in whom you live,
whose lives become roads you travel;
They wind through lonesome valleys, come upon brooks,
discover cool springs and pools brimming with rain!
God-traveled, these roads curve up the mountain, and
at the last turn—Zion! God in full view!
8-9 God-of-the-Angel-Armies, listen:
O God of Jacob, open your ears—I’m praying!
Look at our shields, glistening in the sun,
our faces, shining with your gracious anointing.
10-12 One day spent in your house, this beautiful place of worship,
beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches.
I’d rather scrub floors in the house of my God
than be honored as a guest in the palace of sin.
All sunshine and sovereign is God,
generous in gifts and glory.
He doesn’t scrimp with his traveling companions.
It’s smooth sailing all the way with God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
God of all wonders, draw our attention to your glorious works so that we might know you better, inviting all peoples to give thanks, praise and honor you. In Jesus, Amen.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 