Devotion • August 18
Today’s Scripture Reading
Psalm 104
Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty,
wrapped in light as with a garment. You stretch out the heavens like a tent,
you set the beams of your chambers on the waters, you make the clouds your chariot, you ride on the wings of the wind,
you make the winds your messengers, fire and flame your ministers.
You set the earth on its foundations, so that it shall never be shaken.
You cover it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.
At your rebuke they flee; at the sound of your thunder they take to flight.
They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys to the place that you appointed for them.
You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth.
You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills,
giving drink to every wild animal; the wild asses quench their thirst.
By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation; they sing among the branches.
From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.
You cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for people to use, to bring forth food from the earth,
and wine to gladden the human heart, oil to make the face shine, and bread to strengthen the human heart.
The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
In them the birds build their nests; the stork has its home in the fir trees.
The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the coneys.
You have made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.
You make darkness, and it is night, when all the animals of the forest come creeping out.
The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God.
When the sun rises, they withdraw and lie down in their dens.
People go out to their work and to their labor until the evening.
O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great.
There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.
These all look to you to give them their food in due season;
when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.
May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works —
who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.
Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord! (NRSV)
Reflection
First and foremost, Psalm 104 is about God’s sovereignty over all of the universe. It is a reminder, a call, to every creature upon the earth to worship and praise God with all their being. This is particularly true for us as human beings to “Bless the Lord, O my soul.” We are the works of God’s hands; we are the created ones, not the creator, and in our hubris we often forget our place in creation.
This psalm is a mirror to the story of creation itself found in Genesis 1. Through the words of the psalmist, we are reminded of the mastery of creation and God’s presence in all that was created. Just as in Genesis, God sends forth light into the world and God lays the foundations of the earth and all of creation turns to God in praise and thanksgiving.
In verse 24 the psalmist declares, “How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures” and in this declaration we are told that God took great care in creation and all things have a place and a purpose in creation.
This is the crux of the psalm for me: we are the created not the Creator, and how do we live within God’s creation, which was carefully, wonderfully, beautifully made so that everything and everyone has a place and a purpose?
Prayer
God, open my eyes to all the beauty of creation, as I learn to live better and more gently upon this earth. Grant me the courage to speak out and stand up to those who willingly seek to destroy and control the earth. Guide me in all I think, all I say, all I do, and all I am, so that I may honor all you have created. Amen.
Written by Annette Mileski, Center for Life and Learning Director
Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church
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