Redeeming the Season
He made the moon to mark the seasons. Psalm 104:19
READ Psalm 104:10–23
Leisa wanted a way to redeem the season. So
many of the autumn decorations she saw seemed to celebrate death,
sometimes in gruesome and macabre ways.
Determined to counter the darkness in some small way, Leisa began to
write things she was grateful for with a permanent marker on a large
pumpkin. “Sunshine” was the first item. Soon visitors were adding to her
list. Some entries were whimsical: “doodling,” for instance. Others
were practical: “a warm house”; “a working car.” Still others were
poignant, like the name of a departed loved one. A chain of gratitude
began to wind its way around the pumpkin.
Psalm 104 offers a litany of praise to God for things we easily
overlook. “[God] makes springs pour water into the ravines,” sang the
poet (v. 10). “He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people
to cultivate” (v. 14). Even the night is seen as good and fitting. “You
bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest
prowl” (v. 20). But then, “The sun rises . . . . People go out to their
work, to their labor until evening” (vv. 22–23). For all these things,
the psalmist concluded, “I will sing praise to my God as long as I live”
(v. 33).
In a world that doesn’t know how to deal with death, even the
smallest offering of praise to our Creator can become a shining contrast
of hope.
By Tim Gustafson |
How do you and your friends deal with the
idea of death? What are some ways you might make the world curious about
the hope you have in Jesus?
Thank You, Father, for the multiple good things You’ve placed on this earth. Make my life a grateful offering of praise to You. | | | | |
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Many psalms celebrate the greatness of God
as the Creator and Sustainer of the physical world. These are known as
“nature psalms” (for example, Psalms 8, 19, 29, 33, 65, 95, 104, 135,
148). Psalm 104 celebrates and glorifies God as the Creator and
Sustainer of all creation. Verses 10–23 describe how He creates, cares
for, sustains, and renews His creation. The psalmist also exalts God as
the source of life—who holds the power of life and death of every
creature on earth—and highlights His providence and provision for His
creatures (vv. 24–30). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus too speaks of
God as our Sustainer. He asks us to consider how the Father feeds the
birds of the air and clothes the grass of the field (Matthew 6:26, 30).
K. T. Sim
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