Psalm 104

Scripture  Psalm 104:31-33 

 Let the glory of the Lord endure forever; Let the Lord be glad in His works; He looks at the earth, and it trembles; He 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 my being. Observation-What does it say?  This psalm is a hymn to the creator.  The author uses the story of creation to demonstrate the glory of God, using the earth as a vision of God’s glory.  “The poem contains a complete cosmos sea and land, cloud and sunlight, plant and animal, light and darkness, life and death, are all proved to be expressive of the presence of the Lord”(Spurgeon).  Using the imagery of earth, we get an understanding of God as the sustainer of life.  All of His creation depend on His unfailing goodness and provision for life itself.  Contemplating on His creation helps us to gain perspective on His glory, so we can praise him properly.   Understanding-What does it mean?  As a kid, my favorite part of the year was summer.  Though it had little to do with being out of school.  Well, maybe that was some of it.  But, my love of summer really revolved around summer camp.  I started going to our church’s summer camp pretty young, I think my first time to summer camp was when I was seven, just after finishing the first grade.  It was the first time I can remember seeing the forest, or having a bonfire.  But what was most important and impactful on my life was the ability to connect with God, which is what drew me back every year.  And that was the whole idea of summer camp, getting out of our normal routine, into a beautiful setting, with the intention of worshiping Jesus.  As I got into high school, winter camp became an option as well.  MIND BLOWN!!!  I was like, “You mean I get to go to the mountains, in the snow, and worship God  in the winter?”  I didn’t know what part of the year was my favorite anymore.  While times have changed, and camps are a fading trend, I still find I have a need to get out into the wilderness to reorient my perspective.  I love to hike and mountain bike.  These moments in the woods and desert, having the time to look at God’s creation, helps me to remember how powerful He is and of the beauty of his wisdom.  We live in a culture that doesn’t encourage rest.  Phrases like “time is money” and “you can sleep when you’re dead” encourage us to be working continually.  Which draws us to focus on problems.  When we take time away to gain perspective, we can focus on the bigger picture and the solution.  Jesus being the ultimate solution to life.  Jesus himself retreated for times of prayer.  In Matthew 14, Mark 6 and Luke 6, we see an example of Jesus drawing away to gain perspective and, most importantly, meet with the Father.  

 

Life Application 

 

Holy Spirit, help me to have an attitude like Jesus (Philippians 2:5-11).  Help me to gain perspective when I can.  Most of all, help me to worship God because he is the creator and sustainer of my life.  It is only from this perspective that all the hard things in life can have meaning.     

 

-Tyler Galloway