Psalms 104:24-35

Psa 104:24  O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

Psa 104:25  So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.

Psa 104:26  There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.

Psa 104:27  These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.

Psa 104:28  That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.

Psa 104:29  Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.

Psa 104:30  Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

Psa 104:31  The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.

Psa 104:32  He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.

Psa 104:33  I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

Psa 104:34  My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.

Psa 104:35  Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.

THE ALMIGHTY’S OPEN HAND

The psalmist says nothing of the operation of the great laws of nature, but passes behind and beyond to the Great Hand which opens to fill and satisfy all living things with good. The personality of God is the moving force behind the thin veil of outward appearance. This is in striking contrast with much of the thinking and speaking of the present day, which practically exclude the Creator from his own creation. But there is no real opposition between the two conceptions. Natural law is only another way of stating the usual method of God’s working. There is no variableness in Him, nor shadow cast by turning; and it is because we can count on His unaltering methods that human life can develop regularly and successfully.

While all creation waits on the opening of God’s hand, man alone can adore Him. We stand in the midst of creation as its high priest and interpreter. We can say to God what nature longs to express but cannot. Amid the beauty and magnificence of natural scenery, let us sing the “Te Deum;” and let us believe that He who rejoices in His works comes very near us in our joy, which proves that our nature and His are closely akin.