Psalm 104:1-13 NKJV
104 Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, You are very great:
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
2 Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment,
Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain.
3 He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters,
Who makes the clouds His chariot,
Who walks on the wings of the wind,
4 Who makes His angels spirits,
His ministers a flame of fire.
5 You who laid the foundations of the earth,
So that it should not be moved forever,
6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
The waters stood above the mountains.
7 At Your rebuke they fled;
At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away.
8 They went up over the mountains;
They went down into the valleys,
To the place which You founded for them.
9 You have set a boundary that they may not pass over,
That they may not return to cover the earth.
10 He sends the springs into the valleys;
They flow among the hills.
11 They give drink to every beast of the field;
The wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 By them the birds of the heavens have their home;
They sing among the branches.
13 He waters the hills from His upper chambers;
The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works.
In Psalm 103 (last Sunday’s reading) and here in Psalm 104, the phrase “Bless the Lord, O my soul” is repeated five times. In both psalms, the psalmist is singing God’s praises for very specific things, quite unlike most of the vacuous “praise songs” that are blights upon today’s contemporary worship scene. Proper praise of God names specific things He has done; we praise God precisely for His works, and not just because He exists.
Here in Psalm 104 God is thanked for the works He has accomplished in heaven and on earth. He had ordered all things according to His wisdom that they may produce fruits and crops. The psalmist recounts God’s works one after the other: the heavens – full of light and outstretched as a tapestry without post or rafters; the clouds – an arch without foundation or pillar; the wind flying without wings; the angels coming and going, appearing like a wind or a flame. The psalmist sings God’s praises, finding joy in God’s creations which are wonderfully made and meticulously ordered.
Of course, only God-given faith sees these wonders of God. The unbelieving world around you cares little, if at all, about God’s creation and sees the whole thing as nothing more than mere coincidence and happenstance. But you, O saint, having been gifted by your good and gracious God with the eyes of faith, see the world and all of creation as nothing short of miraculous blessing upon blessing.
God is indeed very great, and has given His Son, Jesus, as full payment for all your sins. Rejoice, dear Christian, in God’s creation which proclaims His goodness, power, and authority, and regularly receive his Word rightly preached and Sacraments rightly distributed for the welfare of your eternal soul.
Let us pray: O God, in six days You made all the creatures and ordered them for man’s benefit. Therefore, You are worthy of praise. Teach us to know that You are indeed the Author of all that is, and grant that we may never abuse Your creation to our own destruction, but use all of creation to Your glory, through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord. Amen.