(A personal psalm)
Oh, Lord God of creation,
I praise you for the glowing hues of your sunsets, the heavenly aroma of your lilacs, and the lyrical bird choruses you orchestrate in springtime.
I praise you for endowing us with physical senses to experience these splendors and countless more.
John Calvin once described the world of nature as your glorious theater. How appropriate. Night and day you present a dramatic performance!
You bring out the starry host one by one, and call them each by name (Isaiah 40:26).
Astronomers can only estimate their number – perhaps up to 3,000 million billion. That’s a three followed by sixteen zeroes! And you know them all by name?!
Oh, Lord, your creative ability knows no bounds of size or number.
Men get excited about creating multi-story skyscrapers, each one a bit taller than the last.
You create galaxies.
In addition to the heavens, you have made everything on the earth and in the seas – from minuscule microbes to mighty mountains, from single-cell protozoa to humpback whales. You give life to everything (Nehemiah 9:6).
And yet, your creative power, as well as your wisdom and engineering in preserving your work, are mere finger-play for you (Psalm 8:3a).
My heart swells with awe.
When I take note of your wonders, I realize that you love:
- Variety – as seen in the myriad kinds of plants and animals around the globe
- Organization – recognized in the sustainable food chains, predictable tides, and purposeful cycle of seasons
- Pattern – revealed in the stripes of a zebra, the hexagons of a honeycomb, and the spiraled petals of a rose
- Color – artistically displayed on butterflies, birds, and even in the galaxies
- Beauty – exhibited in majestic trees, aquamarine waters, and snow-topped mountains
- Intricacy – demonstrated with lacy frost, coral reefs, and the DNA double helix found in almost all organisms
But why, Lord? What is the purpose of all this craftsmanship, all the attention to detail, all the grandeur?
Surely you chose to display your glory outside of heaven so that we might come to revere you (Psalm 33:6-9).
And one day we will join with the throng of heaven and proclaim you worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because you created all things (Revelation 4:11).
But there’s really no need to wait, is there? Even if there is just one voice, you listen with parental joy and appreciation.
So I lift my one voice to praise you:
Lord of the universe, my mind cannot fathom that out of nothing you fashioned all the beauty, majesty, and complexity of the world.
With the mountains and hills I burst into song before you, with the trees of the field I clap my hands, because you are mighty in power, glorious in splendor, and loving toward all that you have made.
(Nehemiah 9:6; Isaiah 55:12; Psalm 147:5; Psalm 145:12, 17)
Photo credits: michiganradio.org; http://www.stylespinner.com; http://www.animalians.wikispaces.com; http://www.etsy.com, http://www.pinterest.com.
Beautiful, Nancy! I can’t help but wonder what would happen to the church as a whole if we all practiced this once in a while…contemplating His majesty and creating our own unique psalms of praise. I suspect the impact would be staggering! Lovely, lovely words here!
There IS something to be said for the process of composing a personal psalm: the reflecting, perhaps a bit of research, drawing together related passages of scripture, etc. It’s a way to encourage the spirit and draw nearer to God. Thank you for YOUR encouragement, Rebeca!
A lovely Psalm, Nancy! And to think that there are many, many people who believe that all of this variety, organization, pattern, color, beauty, and intricacy has ‘evolved’ from nothing? It boggles the mind. And the beauty that He has infused into even the tiniest cells? Astounding and marvelous. And…the best of all…that he finds beauty in me in spite off all of my flaws… How I LOVE Him!
It IS a mystery to me, too, how people can believe in evolution. I think it takes more faith to embrace it than simply accepting that Someone greater than all of us had to be the Creator of all things. I greatly appreciate your observation that God finds beauty in each of us in spite of our flaws. That, too, is a mind-boggling reality!
Reminds me of something Dallas Willard said: that we learn about God from the way he has arranged Creation in the same way we learn about another human from the way they have decorated their house.
Thanks for sharing Dallas Willard’s observation, Mitch. Definitely some truth there!
“God’s glorious theater” indeed! thank you for this beautiful personal psalm, Nancy. You inspire.
Praise God for HIS inspiration! Thank you, Jody.
“On the glorious splendor of His Majesty and on His wonderful works I will meditate.” Psalm 145:5.
Beautiful post, Nancy. Thank you for focusing my thoughts on our majestic, creative LORD!
Oh–what an appropriate verse! I should add that in somewhere! And thank you, Carol, for your encouragement.
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Thank you, Bruce!
wow never heard that phrase before: the glorious theatre. Love that You have delighted my weekend, Nancy. Thank you
Isn’t that a glorious phrase? So glad to have brought delight to your weekend, Jean. Praise God for his inspiration–even when it comes to writing about him and for him!
Drinking it in, Nancy, feeling the wonder brim, along with praise. Thank you!
Thank YOU, Laurie, for stopping by and leaving an encouraging word. I’m humbled and honored that these words engendered wonder and praise for you!
Nancy, I’ve nominated you for a Blogger Appreciation Award! Because you’re awesome. Follow this link to see the guidelines and accept the award! http://mitchteemley.com/2016/02/18/someone-appreciates-me/
Thank you, Mitch, for your vote of confidence. It’s GREATLY appreciated!