Psalm 104:25-35, 37

25 O Lord, how manifold are your works! in wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
26 Yonder is the great and wide sea with its living things too many to number, creatures both small and great.
27 There move the ships, and there is that Leviathan, which you have made for the sport of it.
28 All of them look to you to give them their food in due season.
29 You give it to them; they gather it; you open your hand, and they are filled with good things.
30 You hide your face, and they are terrified; you take away their breath, and they die and return to their dust.
31 You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; and so you renew the face of the earth.
32 May the glory of the Lord endure for ever; may the Lord rejoice in all his works.
33 He looks at the earth and it trembles; he touches the mountains and they smoke.
34 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will praise my God while I have my being.
35 May these words of mine please him; I will rejoice in the Lord.
37 Bless the Lord, O my soul. Hallelujah!

This year, Monday Matters is focused on wisdom conveyed in the treasures of the book of Psalms. We'll look at the psalms read in church before Monday Matters comes to your screen.

Amazement

Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement…get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible. Never treat life casually. To be spiritual is to be amazed. - Abraham Heschel

It’s been a privilege (and an education) for me to spend time each week reflecting on psalms we have heard in church. I hope it’s been helpful to readers. I continue to be amazed at this collection of poems, some probably 3000 years old. What’s particularly amazing to me is how they address the range of issues that are currently part of our story. There are psalms of fear, of loneliness. Some psalms sound like they were written in the depths of depression. Some sound like someone has realized that they had really messed up. There are psalms that give guidance for how to deal with opposition, psalms that help us come with enemies, and some that seek vengeance, psalms that reflect fear of oppression, psalms that baldly and boldly ask what God is up to. Where did God go?

And then there are what I would call psalms of amazement, psalms that look at the world and burst into praise and thanksgiving. The psalm we heard in church yesterday falls into that category, a psalm appointed for the Feast of Pentecost, that day when the Holy Spirit descended on that motley crew of disciples and created something new. Psalm 104 marvels at how God’s works are manifest. We read how that is particularly evident in the creatures God made to fill the seas. I love that bit about God making the leviathan (i.e., the whale I guess) just for the sport of it, just for the delight of it.

It sends us all the way back the six days of creation, when according to scripture, the same Spirit that descended on the disciples at Pentecost was active in creation, days of work that brought such pleasure to the Holy One that God declared it all was not just good. It was very good. The psalmist invites us to offer praise for all that God has done, praise which delights God’s heart, just as expressions of gratitude delight any parent’s heart. And the invitation to a life of praise, to radical amazement is not something that simply delights God’s heart. It is also something that has the power to change us, and to delight our hearts.

That kind of praise for amazing grace is not our only expression. Our lives are filled with the variety of emotions reflected in the 150 psalms. But psalms like this one, wisdom like Abraham Heschel’s, can remind us to pay attention. Einstein said that there are two ways to look at the world. One way is to look at the world as if nothing is miracle. The other is to look at the world as if everything is miracle.

In his book, The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence (1614-1691) outlines essential practices for the spiritual life. He writes: Whatever we do, even if we are reading the Word or praying, we should stop for a few minutes – as often as possible – to praise God from the depths of our hearts, to enjoy him there in secret. Since we believe that God is always with us, no matter what we may be doing, why shouldn’t we stop for awhile to adore Him, to praise Him, to petition Him, to offer Him our hearts, and to thank Him?

Why shouldn’t we, indeed?

This week, may we be given vision of radical amazement, vision to see miracles all around us. May our praise be lifted up. And in doing so, may we be lifted up as well.

- Jay Sidebotham