June 2, 2017

SO COME ON, JOIN ME AND SING

Psalm 104

Alex Armstrong
Friday's Devo

June 2, 2017

Friday's Devo

June 2, 2017

Central Truth

We owe everything to God and because of His grace and mercy we are to have a response . . . well, technically two. Worship Him and tell folks about Him!

Key Verse | Psalm 104:33

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
(Psalm 104:33)

Psalm 104

O LORD My God, You Are Very Great

Bless the LORD, O my soul!
    O LORD my God, you are very great!
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
    covering yourself with light as with a garment,
    stretching out the heavens like a tent.
He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;
he makes the clouds his chariot;
    he rides on the wings of the wind;
he makes his messengers winds,
    his ministers a flaming fire.

He set the earth on its foundations,
    so that it should never be moved.
You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
    the waters stood above the mountains.
At your rebuke they fled;
    at the sound of your thunder they took to flight.
The mountains rose, the valleys sank down
    to the place that you appointed for them.
You set a boundary that they may not pass,
    so that they might not again cover the earth.

10  You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
    they flow between the hills;
11  they give drink to every beast of the field;
    the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12  Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
    they sing among the branches.
13  From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
    the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

14  You cause the grass to grow for the livestock
    and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth food from the earth
15      and wine to gladden the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine
    and bread to strengthen man's heart.

16  The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly,
    the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17  In them the birds build their nests;
    the stork has her home in the fir trees.
18  The high mountains are for the wild goats;
    the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

19  He made the moon to mark the seasons; 1 104:19 Or the appointed times (compare Genesis 1:14)
    the sun knows its time for setting.
20  You make darkness, and it is night,
    when all the beasts of the forest creep about.
21  The young lions roar for their prey,
    seeking their food from God.
22  When the sun rises, they steal away
    and lie down in their dens.
23  Man goes out to his work
    and to his labor until the evening.

24  O LORD, how manifold are your works!
    In wisdom have you made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.
25  Here is the sea, great and wide,
    which teems with creatures innumerable,
    living things both small and great.
26  There go the ships,
    and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it. 2 104:26 Or you formed to play with

27  These all look to you,
    to give them their food in due season.
28  When you give it to them, they gather it up;
    when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
29  When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
    when you take away their breath, they die
    and return to their dust.
30  When you send forth your Spirit, 3 104:30 Or breath they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground.

31  May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
    may the LORD rejoice in his works,
32  who looks on the earth and it trembles,
    who touches the mountains and they smoke!
33  I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
    I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
34  May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    for I rejoice in the LORD.
35  Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
    and let the wicked be no more!
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
Praise the LORD!

Footnotes

[1] 104:19 Or the appointed times (compare Genesis 1:14)
[2] 104:26 Or you formed to play with
[3] 104:30 Or breath

Dive Deeper | Psalm 104

You ever complain, take things for granted, or become too busy to spend time with God? Yeah, me neither. Oh wait, that's not right at all. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 teaches us to rejoice, pray, and to give thanks, not just every now and again, but to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in all circumstances, give thanks. Outside of the Great Commission, some of the hardest disciplines for me to apply consistently are these three short commands.  

The author of Psalm 104 vividly illustrates what it looks like to be endlessly committed to praising God. He does so by praising God for creation in a sincere and beautiful way. Whether I'm in Colorado or down on the Texas coast, creation is a powerful tool for reminding me of the goodness of God. Often, if not always, I will slow down, thank God for His creativity and for allowing me to enjoy it; then a few short moments later, I'm aggravated with a wind knot or the one that got away.   

Every day we get the chance to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, and my prayer for us (ME) is to take longer than a moment. Slow down, enjoy what God has given us, tell our friends and our foes about the good work He has done in your life, and sing of His praises. What a gift to give someone!

Discussion Questions

1. What's your favorite form of worship and why?

2. What discipline do you struggle with?

3. When you read Psalm 104, what did you do next? Pray?

4. What do you think the psalmist meant in verse 33 when he said "I will sing praise to my God while I have being"? Does praise have an ending?

5. What characteristics does the psalmist illustrate that we should apply in our daily walk with God?