Glorious enigma
Psalm 148
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens!
Praise him from the skies!
2 Praise him, all his angels!
Praise him, all the armies of heaven!
3 Praise him, sun and moon!
Praise him, all you twinkling stars!
4 Praise him, skies above!
Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!
5 Let every created thing give praise to the Lord,
for he issued his command, and they came into being.
6 He set them in place forever and ever.
His decree will never be revoked.7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you creatures of the ocean depths,
8 fire and hail, snow and clouds,
wind and weather that obey him,
9 mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all livestock,
small scurrying animals and birds,
11 kings of the earth and all people,
rulers and judges of the earth,
12 young men and young women,
old men and children.13 Let them all praise the name of the Lord.
For his name is very great;
his glory towers over the earth and heaven!
14 He has made his people strong,
honoring his faithful ones—
the people of Israel who are close to him.Praise the Lord!
Talk about a comprehensive list! Phew! Absolutely everything He has made is called to worship – celestial orbs, the atmosphere and weather, plants, animals and people. And why should we worship God? He is the creator – we exist because of Him. He is majestic – impressive in His beauty and scale. He lifts His people up – empowering us with authority. He has drawn us close – we are His.
Yes, when put like that it stands out to me how much God is totally on a different level and why He is worthy of worship. I want to centre my existence around something worthy, and God definitively fits the bill.
Thank you, God, for being an amazing enigma – uncontainable and yet personal … Perfect and yet gracious… Almighty and yet selfless… Thank you God that you are so big that eternity cannot exhaust your magnificence. Please help me to stop and take the time to marvel. Amen!
Written by Beth Waugh
Have a look at this Bible Project video about Psalm 148.