GETTING STARTED
This summer has been the hotest on record in Salt Lake City. With no AC and no end in sight to the +100° days, complaining about the heat to my cat while I slowly melt into the fabrics of my couch has become the norm. But complaining is like eating too much candy- at first it tastes so good but then after awhile you just feel terrible and sick.
Enough was enough. I was done with my pathetic binging on complaints. This week, I escaped up into the mountains which is an unbelievable 30 min. drive from my house (I'm sure you immediately stopped feeling sorry for me after that statement). Walking through wildflower meadows with stunning peaks all around me, my complaining disappeared. When faced with the majesty of God, the only appropriate response was worship.
Today's devotional is a psalm, which is just an old-timey word for "song." Read this song and pay attention to the references to nature and God's character.
Psalm 9
1 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens.
2 Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
5 You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet:
7 all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
8 the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
- Read the psalm slowly and allow yourself to imagine the scenes of nature that are described. What do you notice? What do you hear, see, smell?
- How does the author draw a comparison between God's creative work in nature and humans? What does this psalm tell us about how God views people?
- How does this psalm communicate God's character? What do you learn about God in this psalm?
CLOSING REFLECTION
I grew up in the suburbs of Flint, Michigan. I am NOT a nature girl. My family didn't camp together & we didn't visit national parks. Trips looked like taking the train to Toronto, Canada to explore the city. Or visiting the Greektown casinos and the Fox Theatre in Detroit. While I prefer city dwelling, even I can't ignore the overwhelming beauty of nature. Even though nature isn't my primary way of connecting with God, it is an important discipline for me to get outside and enjoy God's creative work. Nature forces me out of my comfortable, day-to-day rhythms. It's too easy for me to settle into the "daily grind", forgetting about God's majesty- his overwhelmingly beautiful and powerful character- and falling into petty complaints and ingratitude.
When I am out of my bubble and surrounded by God's beauty- whether it's in the mountains or on a street filling with amazing architecture- any justification to complain just melts away. Snarky comments, sarcastic glances, and frustrated sighs are no longer welcome. When faced with the majesty of God, the only appropriate response is worship.
Sometime this week, break out of your day-to-day routine and enjoy God's creation. Whether you head to a local park, a nature reserve, or walking through your city, pay attention to God's creative work around you. Grab a journal or just talk to God and worship the creativity around you.
