View this lesson in a browser and print a "take-away" weekly copy. CLICK HERE (see link below)
Psalm 104
In the nineteenth century, a popular belief known as deism stated that God had created the world but then left it alone. In others words, according to this position, God exists but doesn’t want to get involved.
That view, however, is not what the Bible teaches. God didn’t just set the world like a wind-up watch and then let it go, come what may. According to the Bible, He’s intricately involved in all that happens here. After all, what is the Cross if not God intimately and directly involved in human affairs!
Read Psalm 104 prayerfully. What does it tell us about the role of God in creation and in the natural world?
Perhaps the most telling thing about Psalm 104 is the enthusiasm and excitement that exude from the words themselves. The psalmist rejoices in the creative and sustaining power of the Lord. You almost can hear him shouting these words out in praise and adoration. He sees the reality of God in the everyday function of the natural world.
The God presented in this psalm is not the god of the deists, either. He’s a God who is involved in what happens here. No doubt, whatever the psalmist’s personal troubles, he finds comfort and hope in the power of the Lord. Sure, contemplating the birds in their nests or the lions seeking their food isn’t going to solve whatever daily struggles he’s facing, but he can see in nature things that speak to him of God’s goodness and power, and that gives him hope.
Nature also can be a source of healing to the body, mind, and spirit. In many cases fresh air, sunlight, water, and a healthy diet can do wonders for us both physically and mentally. Natural remedies remain a powerful means of health and healing.
Some doctors, too, often will tell people to get away from work and stress and find rest and relaxation in a natural setting somewhere. Some research shows just how good nature and a natural environment can be for us physically and mentally. After all, God put our first parents in a garden, not in a city square. Something in us resonates better with a field of lilies than it does with an asphalt parking lot.
Nature is one of God’s great gifts. We should do all that we can to take advantage of it. What are ways you can benefit better from what God has given us in nature?
| THURSDAY | March 17 |
In the nineteenth century, a popular belief known as deism stated that God had created the world but then left it alone. In others words, according to this position, God exists but doesn’t want to get involved.
That view, however, is not what the Bible teaches. God didn’t just set the world like a wind-up watch and then let it go, come what may. According to the Bible, He’s intricately involved in all that happens here. After all, what is the Cross if not God intimately and directly involved in human affairs!
Read Psalm 104 prayerfully. What does it tell us about the role of God in creation and in the natural world?
Perhaps the most telling thing about Psalm 104 is the enthusiasm and excitement that exude from the words themselves. The psalmist rejoices in the creative and sustaining power of the Lord. You almost can hear him shouting these words out in praise and adoration. He sees the reality of God in the everyday function of the natural world.
The God presented in this psalm is not the god of the deists, either. He’s a God who is involved in what happens here. No doubt, whatever the psalmist’s personal troubles, he finds comfort and hope in the power of the Lord. Sure, contemplating the birds in their nests or the lions seeking their food isn’t going to solve whatever daily struggles he’s facing, but he can see in nature things that speak to him of God’s goodness and power, and that gives him hope.
Nature also can be a source of healing to the body, mind, and spirit. In many cases fresh air, sunlight, water, and a healthy diet can do wonders for us both physically and mentally. Natural remedies remain a powerful means of health and healing.
Some doctors, too, often will tell people to get away from work and stress and find rest and relaxation in a natural setting somewhere. Some research shows just how good nature and a natural environment can be for us physically and mentally. After all, God put our first parents in a garden, not in a city square. Something in us resonates better with a field of lilies than it does with an asphalt parking lot.
Nature is one of God’s great gifts. We should do all that we can to take advantage of it. What are ways you can benefit better from what God has given us in nature?
No comments:
Post a Comment