“I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord.”

Psalm 104:33-34

Psalm 104 opens and closes with the psalmist calling on himself to praise the Lord, and then divides into five parts. Verses 1–5 celebrate the greatness of God, who set the earth on its immovable foundations. Verses 6–18 meditate on Genesis 1:6-7, where God set limits on the water. Verses 19–23 meditate on Genesis 1:16–18, where God created the sun and moon. Verses 24–30 acknowledge that God sustains all creatures. Verses 31–35 close the psalm with a prayer that the Lord’s glory will endure and the psalmist’s resolve to sing to the Lord all his life.

Whereas Genesis 1 simply states that God set limits on the water, this psalm describes the ongoing benefits of life-giving water from God the ‘celestial sprinkler.’ Whereas Genesis 1 tells of God creating the sun and moon to rule day and night, the psalm celebrates the rhythms of life with the flow of the seasons and alternating day and night. Verses 24–30 celebrate in delightful detail how all creatures depend on God, as we, along with the non-human creation, look to God to provide our needs at the proper time. Truly, when the Lord opens his hand, he satisfies us with good things (v. 28). Appropriately, the last line of the psalm calls on us to add our praise to the psalmist’s.

CLOSING PRAYER

Thank you, Father, for not only creating me, but for providing for my redemption and making me aware of your great power to make all things right in your time.

(Edited from Encounter with God)