Friday Devotional:

Psalm 104:24-34, 35b

I love it when a psalm includes the natural world. Mentions of trees, bodies of water, types of land, animals, and the stars delight me. Psalm 104 is full of this kind of rich imagery. God is extolled for having wisdom in making creatures that can live in all kinds of environments on our planet, with a close look in this section at the ocean in particular.

Our attention is called to how the ocean is full of life, from the smallest animals to the biggest. The psalmist marvels at the way creatures occupy this unique ecosystem below the water and how people make use of the surface above to sail ships. We are reminded how God has made cycles and seasons for food, making life continuously possible.

This is not, however, a list of species, as amazing as such lists are. Nor is this a textbook lesson about the water cycle. This is a poem made for rejoicing, in which the psalmist gives God a blessing as well, calling God to rejoice in the natural world right alongside us.

God, help me notice the beauty in your world that is around me today. In Jesus' name. Amen.

An excerpt from Christ in Our Home

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