Psalm 104:1-7, 9, 13-15, 19, 24, 27-31, 33-34 NIV
Praise the Lord, my soul. Lord my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendor and majesty.
The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent
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.
He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.
He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.
You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
But at your rebuke the waters fled,
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
You set a boundary they cannot cross;
never again will they cover the earth.
He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate—
bringing forth food from the earth:
wine that gladdens human hearts,
oil to make their faces shine,
and bread that sustains their hearts.
He made the moon to mark the seasons,
and the sun knows when to go down.
How many are your works, Lord!
In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time.
When you give it to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.
When you hide your face, they are terrified;
when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.
When you send your Spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.
May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works—
I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord.
Psalm 104 celebrates God as creator and sustainer of the earth. I like to think of some wise man sitting and watching the world. He takes it all in, observing animals, plants, oceans, clouds, the night sky and the behavior of the sun. He notices the faithfulness of the seasons and he praises The Lord.
The psalmist wonders at the majesty of our creator, how He dwells in light, rides on the clouds, speaks His truth in the wind, and flashes forth with fire. He is amazed at the works of creation, how God set the foundations of the earth and formed rivers, lakes and seas from the watery wastes that was once the earth. He takes joy in knowing God provides rain which flows down the mountains to water the fields and grow grass and nourish trees. Trees give shelter to birds. Grass feeds cattle. The great circle of life the wise man can see.
Humanity benefits from all God is doing. We enjoy the fruits of the land. We eat the flesh of the cow. We drink wine and are glad. The oil of the olive softens our skin. We are so blessed and we bless the Lord for the life He gives.
This psalm seems like a Sabbath activity. When God completed the work of creation, God rested. The seventh day God made holy. God crowned creation with a day of rest and enjoyment of his God creation.
Genesis 1:31a; 2:2-3 NIV
"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good... By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done."
God's people join God at seeing all that He has made and acknowledging that indeed it is very good. We join God in resting and delighting in the goodness of His creation.
Psalm 104:31 NIV
May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works—
Join in rejoicing over the good works of God and live in celebration and communion with Him.
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