Psalm 104:24-34,35b (NRSV)
Read Psalm 104:24-34,35b on biblegateway.com
Verse 24O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
Verse 25Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great.
Verse 26There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.
Verse 27These all look to you to give them their food in due season;
Verse 28when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
Verse 29When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
Verse 30When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.
Verse 31May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works-
Verse 32who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke.
Verse 33I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
Verse 34May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.
Verse 35Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord!
Devotion
Psalm 104 is a hymn of praise to God, who created all creatures on earth and all that sustains them, including humans. The psalmist reminds us in these verses that all good things come from God and without God all things would “die and return to their dust.” This also reminds us of the words we hear on Ash Wednesday: “You are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19) But as we journey through these last days of the Easter season and into Pentecost, this hymn of praise also reminds us that God, too, rejoices in God’s good works. God is not a passive observer of the life God created. In the Western Hemisphere, Pentecost aligns with Spring, when flowers bloom, animals give birth, and seeds are planted. How manifold are God’s works! Praise the Lord!
Prayer
Creator God, we give thanks to you for giving us life. Help us to take care of the world you created so that we and all your creatures may please you. Amen.
Interested in digging deeper into today’s text?
Read more here.