May 13, 2011

Psalm 104:24-35 (Click to see scripture)

Bible in One Year Passages:
Mark 12:28-34, 2 Corinthians 8:16-24, 1 Samuel 25-26

Journal Entry

Scripture

O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. (v. 24)

Observation

The passage from v. 24 through v. 30 is really a poetic recount of God’s creation. Yes, it is God who made everything, from the animals and plants of land to the creatures of sea small and large. He finely tuned the nature so that everything in it works together with incredible precision. His creations are fed and taken care of as long as God provides; when he withdraws from us we are in trouble. He created man and woman, out of dust, by his breath. What is a man if the spirit of God is not in him? He is nothing more than a dead heap of organic material, a heap of dust he becomes. Truly, we can find God’s wisdom in the intricacies of his creation and how well everything fits together. We need only to look at the nature and we shall find God. The earth is full of his marvelous handiworks!

Application

We know in principle that God made everything. But how many of us experience that realization on a daily basis? The main problem as I see it has much to do with the fact that we live in an artificial world. Our daily experience happens within the context of man-made world, whether it is driving a car on concrete freeways, or text messaging on our mobile phones, or watching a video on LCD TV, or even playing tennis on a hard court with racquets. Our interaction with nature is nearly non-existent. No wonder we end up worshiping man and his creation rather than God! We constantly surround ourselves with the latest high tech gadgets and modern conveniences. One license plate frame that I saw a while ago said, “The one with most gadgets wins.” How foolish is that?

Today’s passage reminded me that I need to be in nature more, to really appreciate God’s creation and how wonderfully he made the world that I live in. His signature of creation is everywhere if we look for it. I want to have a daily, fresh experience of God, not only in the reading of the bible, but interacting with creation that God put me in touch with, whether it is with nature or through people.

Prayer

Lord, how truly marvelous are your creation! Forgive me for immersing myself in this artificial, man-made world to the point that I miss your handiworks all around me. I desire to be in touch with you everyday through nature and through people around me. May I be reminded of you each time I look up to the sky, or see the flowers, or hear a dog bark, or watch my children play. May I be reminded that all these are your creation which you considered them to be good. May I be reminded that I live because of you. Amen.

--tchang