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Psalm 104 (ESV)

O Lord My God, You Are Very Great

¹⁰ You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills;
¹¹ they give drink to every beast of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
¹² Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
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 livestock
and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth food from the earth
¹⁵     and wine to gladden the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine
and bread to strengthen man’s 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 her home in the fir trees.
¹⁸ The high mountains are for the wild goats;
the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

¹⁹ He 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 beasts of the forest creep about.
²¹ The young lions roar for their prey,
seeking their food from God.
²² When the sun rises, they steal away
and lie down in their dens.
²³ Man goes out to his work
and to his labor until the evening.

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.

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, 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!

REFLECTION:

1. This psalm celebrates God’s creation and sustenance of the world. The structure of this psalm parallels that of Genesis 1, taking the stages of creation as starting points for praise. It is well to read it as a commentary on Genesis 1, not to explain how God created, but to celebrate the wonder of His works.
2. God’s lavish and orderly care for all the creatures brings them joy, and they rely on this steady care day-to-day. (vv27-30) We do well to marvel at the creation and bless God for the power, wisdom and generosity we see in it. Thus to avert our tendency of complacency, self-sufficiency, and even a false sense of entitlement, we do well to remember that each moment, each breath, after all, is a gift from God.
3. When have you enjoyed some aspect of the natural rhythms described here? As you meditate on what God has made, how would you like to respond to God?

PRAYER:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what He wants to tell you.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in your spiritual journal.

HYMN:

I Will Be Glad in the Lord – www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAgFkQxucdo