Psalms – Prayers of Honesty and Praise
This is the song I hear while reading the beginning of Psalm 104…. I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the skyAre also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do
They’re really saying I love you
I hear babies crying, I watch them grow
They’ll learn much more than I’ll never know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world
(What a Wonderful World, sung by Louis Armstrong, Songwriters: George Weiss / Robert Thiele)
Then I am overwhelmed by the love of God through the Psalm of Praise for our Creator…
“The glory of God–let it last forever! Let Yahweh enjoy his creation!”
You have probably been reflecting on this past year, as I have, of all that has happened, good and not so good. Above all, this next prayer of praise. reminds me that God is complete control. He always has been and forever will be…in control. What a glorious thought! Our confidence, not in ourselves, but in God, in control of all, living in us, re-energizes our souls!
“Oh, let me sing to God all my life long,
sing hymns to my God as long as I live!
Oh, let my song please him;
I’m so please to be singing to God!”
Yes, Bless the Lord, O my soul…and all that is in me, bless His Holy Name…
I know of the struggles of friends whose loved ones are struggling right now with terminal cancer. I know of those getting ready for surgeries that hopefully will help them live a more healthy life. I know of those with anxieties that debilitate their daily life. I know of those who mourn the loss of loved ones who have gone on to a better land where there is no more crying and pain. But they still miss them because they loved deeply. I know of many who are lost, who wander around life with no meaning or purpose. I know of of those who are having extreme family relational heartbreak. I don’t know the outcome. Sometimes I don’t know what to pray so I ask the Holy Spirit to help me. But I DO KNOW the God of all who knows all and is in all. HE is God and we are not. And I’m glad I am not Him.
God made us. God create this wild, wacky, wonderful world we live in but as beautiful as this place is, there’s more to come! The writer of psalm 104 is only a glimpse of what will be for those who love and follow the God who created. He loved us first…isn’t that evident? Psalm 104, The Message
1-14 O my soul, bless God!
God, my God, how great you are!
beautifully, gloriously robed,
Dressed up in sunshine,
and all heaven stretched out for your tent.
You built your palace on the ocean deeps,
made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings.
You commandeered winds as messengers,
appointed fire and flame as ambassadors.
You set earth on a firm foundation
so that nothing can shake it, ever.
You blanketed earth with ocean,
covered the mountains with deep waters;
Then you roared and the water ran away—
your thunder crash put it to flight.
Mountains pushed up, valleys spread out in the places you assigned them.
You set boundaries between earth and sea;
never again will earth be flooded.
You started the springs and rivers,
sent them flowing among the hills.
All the wild animals now drink their fill,
wild donkeys quench their thirst.
Along the riverbanks the birds build nests,
ravens make their voices heard.
You water the mountains from your heavenly cisterns;
earth is supplied with plenty of water.
You make grass grow for the livestock,
hay for the animals that plow the ground.
14-23 Oh yes, God brings grain from the land, wine to make people happy,
Their faces glowing with health,
a people well-fed and hearty.
God’s trees are well-watered—
the Lebanon cedars he planted.
Birds build their nests in those trees;
look—the stork at home in the treetop.
Mountain goats climb about the cliffs;
badgers burrow among the rocks.
The moon keeps track of the seasons,
the sun is in charge of each day.
When it’s dark and night takes over,
all the forest creatures come out.
The young lions roar for their prey,
clamoring to God for their supper.
When the sun comes up, they vanish,
lazily stretched out in their dens.
Meanwhile, men and women go out to work,
busy at their jobs until evening.
24-30 What a wildly wonderful world, God!
You made it all, with Wisdom at your side,
made earth overflow with your wonderful creations.
Oh, look—the deep, wide sea, brimming with fish past counting,
sardines and sharks and salmon.
Ships plow those waters,
and Leviathan, your pet dragon, romps in them.
All the creatures look expectantly to you
to give them their meals on time.
You come, and they gather around;
you open your hand and they eat from it.
If you turned your back,
they’d die in a minute—
Take back your Spirit and they die,
revert to original mud;
Send out your Spirit and they spring to life—
the whole countryside in bloom and blossom.
31-32 The glory of God—let it last forever!
Let God enjoy his creation!
He takes one look at earth and triggers an earthquake,
points a finger at the mountains, and volcanoes erupt.
33-35 Oh, let me sing to God all my life long, sing hymns to my God as long as I live!
Oh, let my song please him;
I’m so pleased to be singing to God.
But clear the ground of sinners—
no more godless men and women!
O my soul, bless God!
HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD…sing with me…
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God
The song in my mind, playing in the background of this Psalm is…(How Great is our God, by Chris Tomlin)
The splendor of a King, clothed in majesty
Let all the Earth rejoice
All the Earth rejoice
He wraps himself in light
And darkness tries to hide
And trembles at His voice
Trembles at His voice
How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God
Age to age He stands
And time is in His hands
Beginning and the end
The Godhead Three in One
Father Spirit Son
The Lion and the Lamb
The Lion and the Lamb
How great is our God, sing with me
How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God
Name above all names
Worthy of our praise
My heart will sing
How great is our God
You’re the name above all names
You are worthy of our praise
And my heart will sing
How great is our God
How great…
Dear Heavenly Father,
Indeed, You are the Great, Almighty, Creator, All Knowing, Caring, Compassionate, Merciful, the ONLY wise Judge, full of Grace. And because Your passionate, unconditional, limitless Love, You implemented THE one and only plan to save us through Jesus Christ, Your Son. There is nothing You would not do to save us.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I’m yours. My life is in Your Hands.
In Jesus Name, Amen
Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus) 