So many times, without a word to anyone, needs have been met, blessings have been showered down by the God of all Creation, and we are humbled and grateful. We have received, and recognise that He is the Giver. May those He uses as benefactors be blessed a hundredfold.
Praise the Lord, I tell myself; O Lord my God, how great you are!
How well I remember singing that song of praise on deserted beaches, lonely mountains, and isolated paths through woods and parks. In such places I can sing loud and strong, and only the Lord, who gave me my tone-deaf voice, and the birds and animals, are around to listen!
You are robed with honour and with majesty; You are dressed in a robe of light. You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens; You lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds. You make the clouds your chariots; You ride upon the wings of the wind. The winds are your messengers; flames of fire are your servants.
Do you sometimes wonder where beautiful thoughts of peace and pleasure come from? You may enjoy a brief moment of ease in the midst of a busy working day and a whisper, borne on the breeze of love, reminds you, you are special. Someone cares for you. He knows your name. He called you from before time began.
You placed the world on its foundation so it would never be moved. You clothed the earth with floods of water, water that covered even the mountains. At the sound of your rebuke, the water fled; at the sound of your thunder, it fled away. Mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you decreed. Then you set a firm boundary for the seas, so they would never again cover the earth.
Yes, He still sets limits, and preserves a remnant.
You make the springs pour water into ravines, so streams gush down from the mountains. They provide water for all the animals, and the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds nest beside the streams and sing among the branches of the trees. You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home, and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labour. You cause grass to grow for the cattle. You cause plants to grow for people to use. You allow them to produce food from the earth – wine to make them glad, olive oil as lotion for their skin, and bread to give them strength.
Indeed how great You are, O God, meeting our every need, supplying even food for thought, and leading us down paths of righteousness, for your Name’s sake.
The trees of the Lord are well cared for – the cedars of Lebanon that He planted. There the birds make their nests, and the storks make their homes in the firs. High in the mountains are pastures for the wild goats, and the rocks form a refuge for rock badgers.
I remember walking on the top of Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, and watching the rock badgers scurrying between the rocks, knowing exactly where their homes were; on another occasion watching a Gnu prancing in a dance of delight, just enjoying his day. And the Lord God made them all.
You made the moon to mark the seasons and the sun that knows where to set. You send the darkness, and it becomes night, when all the forest animals prowl about. Then the young lions roar for their food, but they are dependant on God. At dawn they slink back into their dens to rest. Then people go off to their work; they labour until the evening shadows fall again.
Watch the DVD’s by Louie Giglio, Indescribable and Alive and see the wonders of the heavens, and their relationship to mankind. Be amazed at God’s handiwork.
O Lord, what a variety of things You have made! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures. Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life of every kind, both great and small. See the ships sailing along, and Leviathan, which You made to play in the sea; Every one of these depends in You to give them their food as they need it. When you supply it, they gather it. You open Your hand to feed them, and they are satisfied. But if You turn away from them, they panic. When You take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust. When You send Your Spirit, new life is born to replenish all the living of the earth.
May the glory of the Lord last forever! The Lord rejoices in all He has made! The earth trembles at His glance; the mountains burst into flame at His touch.
You may have realised I am awed by the Lord’s provision. I am blessed by His Presence, His guidance, His wisdom and His beauty. I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath! May He be pleased by all these thoughts about Him, for I rejoice in the Lord.
That is the beauty of reading the Psalms, but there is a grim reminder!
Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth; let the wicked disappear forever.
That is what makes me fall on my knees. It is not His will that any should be lost, but that all would cry out to Him and be saved.
As for me – I will praise the Lord. Psalm 104 TLB
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