Psalm 104

All Creatures Look To You

This is a psalm celebrating God's power and mercy in creating the world and all living things.  What makes it so interesting is that while it doesn't necessarily dispute the creation described in Genesis 1, it gives an interesting new perspective on creation in language that is much more poetic.  Genesis describes God as ordering the elements around in order to make the world.  He says, "Let there be..." and then there was.   God in this Psalm is doing more dirty work.  We read that God placed the world on its foundations, positioning it there through action, rather than word.  God is said to have planted the Cedars in Lebanon personally.  He even is said to have made the sea monster Leviathan and placed it in the sea to 'frolic".  The God is this creation seems to be very present and active in creation, and shows great care for everything He creates.

The Psalm writer recognizes that God loves and cares about everything in creation, and that is why He took such special care creating it.  God makes the rain so the creatures of the field can enjoy the water and be taken care of.  He makes the night so the creatures of the forest can hunt in darkness, and He makes the day so people know when it is time to labor.  We are not treated to a special creation of man, but we are told man is given plants to cultivate, so we can make bread and wine to make us happy.

The psalm begins describing the power of God.  Light, the sky, and wind, and fire are some of the most powerful forces in nature, but we see that God controls them like child's play.  It is really amazing that a God of such indescribable power and wonder, who can make the Earth shake by giving it a bad look, cares enough about this world to make sure that all creatures get food when it is their proper time.

This psalm really isn't a declaration of God's power, or a description of His creation.  I see it more as praise for His grace and mercy.  It is a reminder that despite his lofty status, God still looks over us and loves us.  God is always with us, even if we are less majestic than the seas and the mountains which he commands.  Sometimes, when we feel low, or even unlovable, it is nice to think back and remember that we are still adored by the one who created us.  Not only that God cares about you, but He will forsake the mountains and the seas He controls in order to be with you.  It is an amazing testament to God's grace.

1 Praise the Lord, my soul.

Lord my God, you are very great;
    you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

2 The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment;
    he stretches out the heavens like a tent
3     and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
    and rides on the wings of the wind.
4 He makes winds his messengers,
    flames of fire his servants.

5 He set the earth on its foundations;
    it can never be moved.
6 You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;
    the waters stood above the mountains.
7 But at your rebuke the waters fled,
    at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
8 they flowed over the mountains,
    they went down into the valleys,
    to the place you assigned for them.
9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;
    never again will they cover the earth.

10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
    it flows between the mountains.
11 They give water to all the beasts of the field;
    the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 The birds of the sky nest by the waters;
    they sing among the branches.
13 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
    the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
14 He makes grass grow for the cattle,
    and plants for people to cultivate—
    bringing forth food from the earth:
15 wine that gladdens human hearts,
    oil to make their faces shine,
    and bread that sustains their hearts.
16 The trees of the Lord are well watered,
    the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 There the birds make their nests;
    the stork has its home in the junipers.
18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats;
    the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.

19 He made the moon to mark the seasons,
    and the sun knows when to go down.
20 You bring darkness, it becomes night,
    and all the beasts of the forest prowl.
21 The lions roar for their prey
    and seek their food from God.
22 The sun rises, and they steal away;
    they return and lie down in their dens.
23 Then people go out to their work,
    to their labor until evening.

24 How many are your works, Lord!
    In wisdom you made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.
25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
    teeming with creatures beyond number—
    living things both large and small.
26 There the ships go to and fro,
    and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

27 All creatures look to you
    to give them their food at the proper time.
28 When you give it to them,
    they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
    they are satisfied with good things.
29 When you hide your face,
    they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
    they die and return to the dust.
30 When you send 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 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
    who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    as I rejoice in the Lord.
35 But may sinners vanish from the earth
    and the wicked be no more.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Praise the Lord.