Thursday, September 20, 2018

EmmDev 2018-09-20 [Celebrating Creation] Providence (2)


Providence (2)

Providence means that God provides for and sustains creation. Our reading today is from Psalm 104 which is a beautiful celebration of God's loving and bountiful care for creation.

As you read this magnificent poem take note of the following:

  • God is great, majestic and clothed with splendor.
  • The beauty of creation are chariots and messengers of His splendor.
  • The act of creation (founding the earth, bounding the waters and sourcing the rivers) illustrates His authority
  • The animals and birds are nourished by the streams that are sourced from the mountains which are sourced from His "upper chambers".
  • The earth is satisfied by the fruit of His Work. This is the initial work of Creation and the ongoing work of Providence.
  • The destination of Providence is humankind. Cattle and crops are the work of His providence and we are meant to find sustenance and joy from it (v.15)
  • The trees, crags, moon and sun all play their part in an orderly creation where the lions roar and are provided for by God. And the lions go to bed after a night of roaring so that humankind can go about their work.
  • The sea is a source of diversity and wonder - including frolic-ing leviathan!
  • All creatures look to God for food and sustenance which He provides with an open hand.
  • The thought of God's absence is terrifying to creation and creation is waiting to be renewed and sinners will vanish from the earth.
  • When volcanoes smoke and the earthquakes shake, the Psalmist recognises the power of the Creator and calls us to worship Him.

Take time to read this beautiful poem and let this picture of God's bountiful providence and care wash over you.

Praise the LORD, O my soul.
O LORD my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendor and majesty.
2 He wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent
3 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.
4 He makes winds his messengers,
flames of fire his servants.
5 He set the earth on its foundations;
it can never be moved.
6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.

7 But at your rebuke the waters fled,
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
8 they flowed over the mountains,
they went down into the valleys,
to the place you assigned for them.
9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;
never again will they cover the earth.
10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
it flows between the mountains.
11 They give water to all the beasts of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 The birds of the air nest by the waters;
they sing among the branches.
13 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
14 He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for man to cultivate--
bringing forth food from the earth:
15 wine that gladdens the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine,
and bread that sustains his heart.

16 The trees of the LORD are well watered,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 There the birds make their nests;
the stork has its home in the pine trees.
18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats;
the crags are a refuge for the coneys.

19 The moon marks off the seasons,
and the sun knows when to go down.
20 You bring darkness, it becomes night,
and all the beasts of the forest prowl.
21 The lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God.
22 The sun rises, and they steal away;
they return and lie down in their dens.
23 Then man goes out to his work,
to his labor until evening.

24 How many are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number--
living things both large and small.
26 There the ships go to and fro,
and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

27 These all look to you
to give them their food at the proper time.
28 When you give it to them,
they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.

29 When you hide your face,
they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust.
30 When you send your Spirit,
they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.

31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works--
32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the LORD.
35 But may sinners vanish from the earth
and the wicked be no more.

Praise the LORD, O my soul.

Praise the LORD.      (Psalms104:1-35)
Posted by at