1+++Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD my God, You are very great;
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
2+++Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak,
Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain.
3+++He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters;
He makes the clouds His chariot;
He walks upon the wings of the wind;
4+++He makes the winds His messengers,
Flaming fire His ministers.
5+++He established the earth upon its foundations,
So that it will not totter forever and ever.
6+++You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
The waters were standing above the mountains.
7+++At Your rebuke they fled,
At the sound of Your thunder they hurried away.
8+++The mountains rose; the valleys sank down
To the place which You established for them.
9+++You set a boundary that they may not pass over,
So that they will not return to cover the earth.
10+++He sends forth springs in the valleys;
They flow between the mountains;
11+++They give drink to every beast of the field;
The wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12+++Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
They lift up their voices among the branches.
13+++He waters the mountains from His upper chambers;
The earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works.
14++++He causes the grass to grow for the cattle,
And vegetation for the labor of man,
So that he may bring forth food from the earth,
15+++And wine which makes man’s heart glad,
So that he may make his face glisten with oil,
And food which sustains man’s heart.
16++++The trees of the LORD drink their fill,
The cedars of Lebanon which He planted,
17+++Where the birds build their nests,
And the stork, whose home is the fir trees.
18+++The high mountains are for the wild goats;
The cliffs are a refuge for the shephanim.
19+++He made the moon for the seasons;
The sun knows the place of its setting.
20+++You appoint darkness and it becomes night,
In which all the beasts of the forest prowl about.
21+++The young lions roar after their prey
And seek their food from God.
22+++When the sun rises they withdraw
And lie down in their dens.
23+++Man goes forth to his work
And to his labor until evening.
24+++O LORD, how many are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all;
The earth is full of Your possessions.
25+++There is the sea, great and broad,
In which are swarms without number,
Animals both small and great.
26+++There the ships move along,
And Leviathan, which You have formed to sport in it.
27+++They all wait for You
To give them their food in due season.
28+++You give to them, they gather it up;
You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good.
29+++You hide Your face, they are dismayed;
You take away their spirit, they expire
And return to their dust.
30+++You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the ground.
31+++Let the glory of the LORD endure forever;
Let the LORD be glad in His works;
32+++He looks at the earth, and it trembles;
He touches the mountains, and they smoke.
33+++I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
34+++Let my meditation be pleasing to Him;
As for me, I shall be glad in the LORD.
35+++Let sinners be consumed from the earth
And let the wicked be no more.
Bless the LORD, O my soul.
Praise the LORD!
When we reflect upon the provision made for all creatures, we should also notice the natural worship they render to God. Yet man, forgetful ungrateful man, enjoys the largest measure of his Creator's kindness. the earth, varying in different lands. Nor let us forget spiritual blessings; the fruitfulness of the church through grace, the bread of everlasting life, the cup of salvation, and the oil of gladness. Does God provide for the inferior creatures, and will he not be a refuge to his people?
We are to praise and magnify God for the constant succession of day and night. And see how those are like to the wild beasts, who wait for the twilight, and have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. Does God listen to the language of mere nature, even in ravenous creatures, and shall he not much more interpret favourably the language of grace in his own people, though weak and broken groanings which cannot be uttered?
There is the work of every day, which is to be done in its day, which man must apply to every morning, and which he must continue in till evening; it will be time enough to rest when the night comes, in which no man can work. The psalmist wonders at the works of God. The works of art, the more closely they are looked upon, the more rough they appear; the works of nature appear more fine and exact. They are all made in wisdom, for they all answer the end they were designed to serve. Every spring is an emblem of the resurrection, when a new world rises, as it were, out of the ruins of the old one. But man alone lives beyond death. When the Lord takes away his breath, his soul enters on another state, and his body will be raised, either to glory or to misery. May the Lord send forth his Spirit, and new-create our souls to holiness.
Man's glory is fading; God's glory is everlasting: creatures change, but with the Creator there is no variableness. And if mediation on the glories of creation be so sweet to the soul, what greater glory appears to the enlightened mind, when contemplating the great work of redemption! There alone can a sinner perceive ground of confidence and joy in God. While he with pleasure upholds all, governs all, and rejoices in all his works, let our souls, touched by his grace, meditate on and praise him.
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