Psalm 104:31-32 "May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in His works---- He who looks at the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
Many devotionals have been written about nature and things created glorifying the Lord. Indeed all of the 35 verses of this Psalm are dedicated to extolling His creating and maintaining of the cosmos. That very ability by definition is a bit overwhelming and when we are not mesmerized with manmade stuff we can step back and appreciate the grander scope of the true designer, first mover and originator of all the stuff that stuff is made from. So what could I say here that might give you a fresh perspective on this subject, since so much has been well said?
How about this? Let me suggest that human beings cannot fully appreciate the phenomenal beauty of the creation unless they know the Creator. Not just know of Him, but actually know Him. In the two verses I plucked out of this Psalm the anonymous writer draws two very recognizable illustrations, earthquakes and volcanoes. If you read just a little between the lines of these words you can see the reference to God's power that makes awesome things happen.
Earthquakes and volcanoes are fascinating to us because we absolutely don't control them and we are in utter awe of their power and potential destructiveness. Sometimes insurance policies actually refer to these as 'acts of God'. A careful note to make here is that God can certainly make things happen with just a touch or a look, but that doesn't mean that He makes or directs every earthquake or volcano eruption happen as an act of His perfect will. Remember, His will is also acted out preventively and permissively. If you know Him personally then you know that He is in control of the whole universe and all that happens in it.
When we know the Creator then we need not fear His creation. Respect it, yes, respond to its awesomeness, absolutely. If I did not know the Lord, I could fear that all of a sudden the earth would go spinning off its axis or that 'manmade global warming' had already doomed the earth, or that an asteroid or meteor could strike the earth with a fatal blow or that some pandemic infectious virus would kill us with just a few gusts of wind and a few breaths.
Granted, man is not a very good steward of God's resources, but man's self-destructive capability is completely trumped by God's omnipotence. Just think, if it is His will, could He stop anything from happening? Of course He could. So nature should just draw us closer to God, not away from Him. Appreciation of the creation should compel us to trust God more, not less. If God can do whatever with a touch, a look or a word, He can stop whatever with the same or even a just a thought. I'm so glad He has a plan and I am a part of it.
Nature illustrates God, enjoy His majesty and power on display for us to see, just so we will glorify Him.
Glory to God!!!!! Pastor Fred
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