Thursday, November 26, 2015

Today’s Reading  |  Psalm 95:1–7  

O come, let us sing to the Lord;
   let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
   let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
   and a great King above all gods. 
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
   the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
   and the dry land, which his hands have formed. 

O come, let us worship and bow down,
   let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!

For he is our God,
   and we are the people of his pasture,
   and the sheep of his hand.

O that today you would listen to his voice! (NRSV)

Reflection
In her book of poetry A Thousand Mornings, Mary Oliver writes a poem entitled “I Go Down to the Shore.”

I go down to the shore in the morning
and depending on the hour the waves
are rolling in or moving out,
and I say, oh, I am miserable,
What shall—
what should I do? And the sea says
in its lovely voice:
Excuse me, I have work to do.

The poem hits me over the head like a ton of bricks, helps me take notice and remember the awesomeness of creation. Yes, I might have miserable days but the waves of the great seas keep rolling in and rolling out, the sun rises and sets often in stunning beauty, and the grandeur of creation is more than I can describe. Not that my troubles go away when I realize all of this again. But somehow there is a perspective gained.

This is similar to what Psalm 95 says, too. “In God’s hands are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are God’s also. The sea is his; for God made it and the dry land, which God’s hands formed. O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before God our maker.”

Perhaps an intentional decision to be in the midst of creation, to stop to look at the blue of the lake, to strain to see the night stars, to notice the indigo blue of the sky just before sunset, and so much more is a valid spiritual discipline for us to adopt. Especially when our moments in creation remind us that “the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.” 

Prayer
Creator God, thank you for the wondrous gift of this earth and the universe beyond our knowing. Hit us over the head with its beauty. Fill us with awe and gratitude once again. Amen.

Written by Judith L. Watt, Associate Pastor for Pastoral Care

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

Devotion index by date | I’d like to receive daily devotions by email