The Wonder of It All Is Worthy of Praise by All!
Widely known as the leading theologian of the 20th Century, Karl Barth was asked to summarize years of research and volumes of writings, and he responded: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” Simply profound!
Perhaps taking a cue from Dr. Barth, a great historian responded to a similar question put to him with regard to the history of mankind. His answer: “They were born, they lived, they died.” Simply profound!
Of all the prayers I have prayed in my life, the one I reflect upon most is the prayer of thanks I learned as a child: “God is great. God is good. Let us thank Him for our food. By His hands we all are fed. Give us, Lord, our daily bread.” Simply profound!
More often than not the most profound expressions of our understanding of the things of God, especially as they pertain to everyday life, are the simplest and the obvious.
But you know? In our lifetime of studying the Bible and its application to how we relate to God, and to people, one of the very important lessons we learned was that “simply profound” revelations of God occur through meditation based upon observation.
Picture David sitting on a hillside - tending sheep grazing in the green grass, surrounded by a canopy of floral displays, feeling the ocean breeze in his face, watching a few trees sway in the wind, having a “whale of a time” looking down at the Mediterranean, viewing mountains in the distance, catching a glimpse of clouds drifting by against a back drop of blue skies.
Indelibly engraved on his brain as a shepherd lad, this never-to-be-forgotten panoramic view of nature is brought to mind in his old age as he composes a hymn of praise to God – Psalm 104 . . . (selected verses)
Simply yet profoundly, this Psalm extols God’s greatness and His goodness that can be observed in creation by anyone who takes the time to pay attention, as so aptly put by Dr. Werner Von Braun (the scientist whose vast knowledge and expertise helped our nation launch its space program).
In Christianity Today Dr. Von Braun was quoted as saying: “One cannot be exposed to the law and order of the universe without concluding that there must be design and purpose behind it all. The better we understand the intricacies of the universe and all it harbors, the more reason we have to marvel at the inherent design upon which it is based.”
It was in the “law and order of the universe” that he, like David, saw God’s handiwork. However, as a spokesman for God and writer of poetry to be used as a hymn of praise, David went further - using metaphorical language as if God had a body, to describe God’s power over creation plus His provision for all living things.
David depicts God as having an “open hand” (v28) . . . “hidden face” (v29). He says that God “looks on the earth . . . touches the mountains” (v32) – language similar to the Genesis account of creation in which God shapes dirt into human form . . . breathes life into His creation . . . takes a walk through the garden.
Notice how this psalm emphasizes order, limits, and separation; for example, waters stay within boundaries, the sun and moon mark times and seasons (v19) – again, reminiscent of the Genesis story of God’s separation of light from darkness . . . waters above from waters below . . . the waters of the earth from dry land.
With the vastness of our knowledge, and with our ability to see the marvels of the universe as never seen before, who in their right mind would not agree with the psalmist that we ought to praise the greatness and goodness of God!?
Obviously, creation bears the indelible mark of a wise master designer – countless works and wonders . . . creatures of all kinds, sizes, shapes – in the sky, on the land, in the sea – creatures that work - and play . . . living things that grow and go . . . human beings that likewise do so – everything in its season, in cycles, in sync with God’s grand scheme of things.
We cannot begin to imagine the intricately balanced ecosystem teeming with plant and animal life - the minutest detail of which has not escaped the attention pf Almighty God! Did you see the movie “Lion King” with its theme song “The Circle of Life”?
Whereas this animated film depicts nature’s process of “birth, life, and death” only to be followed by yet another cycle of the same, the Bible reveals that God, as planned, interrupted the natural cycle when He introduced the process of a new creation that begins with a new spiritual birth, continues with a new life in Christ with whom we shall spend eternity beyond the grave.
Do folks not realize that all of creation depends on God for its origination, habitation, vegetation, hydration, regeneration and continuation? How often do you think about how dependent you are on the Creator, even for every breath you take? What hinders us from recognizing God’s ongoing activity in sustaining creation?
Not paying attention? May I suggest meditation on the glory of God in creation for coming to grips with the reality of our human situation and for rising above the frustration of having to deal with all we have to deal with? Meditation!
You will recall that before Jesus began his public ministry he was driven by the Spirit into the wilderness to contend with the reality that his way was not going to be easy. I don’t know about you but my life has not been a “bed of roses”!
Before becoming a missionary, Paul went to a “deserted” place for solace. Jesus extended an invitation to his Disciples - one that is no less apropos to us today: “Come ye yourselves apart into a deserted (peaceful) place, and rest awhile.” Do you suppose this place could be considered your peaceful place?
Maybe, just maybe, we concentrate too much on the disorders of our world like we do our personal problems to the extent that we need something to lift us above ourselves, our doubts, our fears, our anxieties - and set our minds and hearts free to meditate on the awesomeness of the gifts God has bestowed upon us, not the least of which is the wonder of creation not to mention life itself. Indeed, the wonder of it all is worthy of praise by all!
In Genesis --- “When God saw everything that he had made, behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:31).
One of my goals in life has been to see as much as I could of the handiwork of God; and I can tell you, that even if I travel no more, I’ve already observed more than enough of God’s glory to keep me in constant meditation for the rest of my days.
Well, perhaps we would feel better if Psalm 104 ended with verse 34 rather than verse 35 . . . That one little verse reminds us that, even though all the verses of this psalm have been devoted to the glory of God based on chapters one and two of Genesis, the reality is that we live in a “Genesis 3 world” in which we have no choice but to deal with efforts of the wicked that seek to damage if not destroy God’s good work.
As we the people of faith withstand schemes of “the wicked” to undermine God’s greatness and undo God’s goodness, rest assured, as did the psalmist, that: according to God’s plan we were brought into this world, by His grace we have been redeemed, by His presence we are reassured all the days of our lives, by His providence we are sustained every day, by His power we shall receive the greatest blessing of all: We shall dwell in the House of the Lord forever! Amen!
