How many [of them there are]!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creations.
25 Look at the sea, so great, so wide!
It teems with countless creatures,
living beings, both large and small.
26 The ships are there, sailing to and fro;
Livyatan, which you formed to play there.
27 All of them look to you
to give them their food when they need it.
28 When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are well satisfied.
29 If you hide your face, they vanish;
if you hold back their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
30 If you send out your breath, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
31 May the glory of Adonai last forever!
May Adonai rejoice in his works!
32 When he looks at the earth, it trembles;
when he touches the mountains, they pour out smoke.
33 I will sing to Adonai as long as I live,
sing praise to my God all my life.
34 May my musings be pleasing to him;
I will rejoice in Adonai.[Complete Jewish Bible]The familiar hymn invites our praise: "My God How Wonderful Thou Art thy Majesty how Bright." I didn't understand this God as my creator until I was eleven years old and went camping in a desert where we slept in the dirt and played with snakes and saw for the first time the bright stars I had ignored in the big city. Lying outdoors on my sleeping bag I meditated on the stars and planets and the cosmic universe. From my Scout leader, Henry, a wise engineer scientist, I learned of the wonderful One who in wisdom is the creator of it all. From studying and loving all of God's creatures I have come to celebrate the diverse human community, all created in the image of God, as my brothers and sisters. Everything created is dependent on God.
The Bible tells us that out of the ground God brings forth life and it is very good. This immensely intelligent and wise God is like my mother who creates with complexity and purpose. With the passage of time I haven't been satisfied to be with just a few of the wonders of creation or a few from my own culture; I have stepped out in faith and found courage to travel out of my comfort zones—by ship and high speed train and airplane and computers. We are blessed to live in a time when we can spend more of our lengthening life span singing God's praises along with people of faith in all of creation and in all the circumstances of life. God is good.
We pray using the words of Psalm 104 O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all. When you open your hand they are filled with good things. I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to God while I have being. Amen.
Don Rudrud
Master of Divinity , 1965
Psalm 104:24 O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
25 Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great.
26 There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.
27 These all look to you to give them their food in due season;
28 when you give 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, 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.[New Revised Standard Version]
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