The mysteries of God surround us. The beauty of God captures our attention. The love of God enfolds around us. The peace of God is offered to us. God provides. God is there for us in our times of weakness and pain. His joy is unspeakable. His mercy and grace are incomprehensible.
If all of this is true (and I do believe it is), then where is our reverence for God? Why do we struggle to worship? Why are we not always as faithful as we should be? Why would we choose to go any other way? What excuses can we come up with for not following him, for not being obedient to our Creator, Redeemer and Provider? Maybe we forget. We could get so consumed in what we are doing we forget. We could become self-reliant so we forget. We could become independent so we forget we need him. We may forget who God is. He is God. And yet, we seem to forget.
Today’s Psalm is, for me, a great reminder. Over and over again, the proclamations of the Psalmist begin with you. He is offering praise and worship to God. He is speaking to God, so the ‘you’ is God. And continuously, the Psalmist is speaking of the wonders of God. There is acknowledgement of just a few of the attributes and gifts of God. It is a starting point. It is an opportunity for us to pause and consider the wondrous works of God. It should cause us to be awestruck by God.
Let us not forget today. Let us not pass it all by. May we experience his power, his provision, and his love. May he remind us we are his. And may we be amazed.
Psalm 104
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul.
O Lord my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
2 wrapped in light as with a garment.
You stretch out the heavens like a tent,
3 you set the beams of your chambers on the waters,
you make the clouds your chariot,
you ride on the wings of the wind,
4 you make the winds your messengers,
fire and flame your ministers.
5 You set the earth on its foundations,
so that it shall never be shaken.
6 You cover it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
7 At your rebuke they flee;
at the sound of your thunder they take to flight.
8 They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys
to the place that you appointed for them.
9 You set a boundary that they may not pass,
so that they might not again cover the earth.
10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills,
11 giving drink to every wild animal;
the wild asses quench their thirst.
12 By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation;
they sing among the branches.
13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.
14 You cause the grass to grow for the cattle,
and plants for people to use,
to bring forth food from the earth,
15 and wine to gladden the human heart,
oil to make the face shine,
and bread to strengthen the human heart.
16 The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 In them the birds build their nests;
the stork has its home in the fir trees.
18 The high mountains are for the wild goats;
the rocks are a refuge for the coneys.
19 You have made the moon to mark the seasons;
the sun knows its time for setting.
20 You make darkness, and it is night,
when all the animals of the forest come creeping out.
21 The young lions roar for their prey,
seeking their food from God.
22 When the sun rises, they withdraw
and lie down in their dens.
23 People go out to their work
and to their labor until the evening.
24 O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
25 Yonder is the sea, great and wide,
creeping things innumerable are there,
living things both small and great.
26 There go the ships,
and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.
27 These all look to you
to give them their food in due season;
28 when you give 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, 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!
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
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