Devotion • June 20
Today's Scripture
Psalm 98
O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.
The Lord has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.
Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who live in it.
Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy
at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity. (NRSV)
Reflection
I love the word marvelous. It would be, well, marvelous if the word got used more. Here goes!
The thick Webster’s Dictionary I keep on a stand at home defines marvelous as “causing wonder; surprising, astonishing, or extraordinary.” Yes, so far, so good — that’s God.
But I flinched at the second definition, “so extraordinary as to be improbable, incredible, or miraculous.”
Incredible? Wait a second! The same dictionary defines incredible as “that cannot be believed; not to be credited; too extraordinary and improbable to admit of belief.”
God has done marvelous things. That can be believed. From the solar eclipse to the arrival of cicadas, from the waves of Lake Michigan to the forces that hold up downtown towers and our homes alike, God’s creation is filled with marvels.
But incredible? I’d have argued with the dictionary editors. “Too extraordinary and improbable” reminds me of another psalm’s “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.” Too wonderful to understand, but not to believe.
Astonishing, surprising, wonderful — wonder-full — creations are gifts from God. They are ways that God has revealed his victory, here for all the nations to see.
Prayer
Our creative heavenly Father, thank you for all of the marvelous world you have created for us, including ourselves. Amen.
Written by Margaret Laing, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church
Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church
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