Psalms 104:1-35 (NLT)
1 Let all that I am praise the LORD. O LORD my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and majesty.
2 You are dressed in a robe of light. You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens;
3 you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds. You make the clouds your chariot; you ride upon the wings of the wind.
4 The winds are your messengers; flames of fire are your servants.
5 You placed the world on its foundation so it would never be moved.
6 You clothed the earth with floods of water, water that covered even the mountains.
7 At your command, the water fled; at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away.
8 Mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you decreed.
9 Then you set a firm boundary for the seas, so they would never again cover the earth.
10 You make springs pour water into the ravines, so streams gush down from the mountains.
11 They provide water for all the animals, and the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 The birds nest beside the streams and sing among the branches of the trees.
13 You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home, and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor.
14 You cause grass to grow for the livestock and plants for people to use. You allow them to produce food from the earth—
15 wine to make them glad, olive oil to soothe their skin, and bread to give them strength.
16 The trees of the LORD are well cared for—the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 There the birds make their nests, and the storks make their homes in the cypresses.
18 High in the mountains live the wild goats, and the rocks form a refuge for the hyraxes.
19 You made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to set.
20 You send the darkness, and it becomes night, when all the forest animals prowl about.
21 Then the young lions roar for their prey, stalking the food provided by God.
22 At dawn they slink back into their dens to rest.
23 Then people go off to their work, where they labor until evening.
24 O LORD, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures.
25 Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life of every kind, both large and small.
26 See the ships sailing along, and Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea.
27 They all depend on you to give them food as they need it.
28 When you supply it, they gather it. You open your hand to feed them, and they are richly satisfied.
29 But if you turn away from them, they panic. When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust.
30 When you give them your breath, life is created, and you renew the face of the earth.
31 May the glory of the LORD continue forever! The LORD takes pleasure in all he has made!
32 The earth trembles at his glance; the mountains smoke at his touch.
33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath!
34 May all my thoughts be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD.
35 Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth; let the wicked disappear forever. Let all that I am praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!
Though this world is marked by storms, earthquakes, and tidal waves, it is also a continually unfolding provision of resources that sustain and enrich all life. Every moment we receive what is needed to exist, yet these gifts are often overlooked and taken for granted. Human devices and technologies offer impressive benefits, creating the illusion for some that reliance on God is no longer necessary. Yet for all the innovation built from the elements He provides, the loss of even one essential provision would instantly end every human achievement. If the sun failed to rise, the moon lost its course, or rain ceased for even a day, all that humanity has formed would collapse.
To assume independence from God is the height of arrogance and foolishness, no matter how advanced human intellect may appear. Creation has never ceased to praise its Creator, but humanity has been given a choice: to advance in the power of God’s grace toward eternal, limitless life, or to persist in the false belief that meaningful existence is possible apart from Him. Recognizing our dependence on God for even our next breath cultivates a reverent refusal to place reliance anywhere else. Faith transforms self-directed living into wholehearted submission to God-directed choices. Though this present creation will one day pass away, praise for its Creator will never end. Those who choose independence through faithless lives will ultimately depart from this world, while those who align themselves with God’s will and ways will continue in that alignment forever.