You placed the world on its foundation
Psalm 104:5-9 NIV
so it would never be moved.
You clothed the earth with floods of water,
water that covered even the mountains.
At your command, the water fled;
at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away.
Mountains rose and valleys sank
to the levels you decreed.
Then you set a firm boundary for the seas,
so they would never again cover the earth.
The 104th Psalm tells of God’s greatness, both in the creation of the earth and his provision for the life he created. It builds and expands on the creation account of Genesis 1. But the focus is not on what God did or how he did it. Instead, it is on the greatness of the God who was, and is, at work in his creation. It is a psalm that glorifies the God of creation.
This psalm was written in a pre-scientific world. The people had no idea how the earth had been formed or functioned. But as they looked at the world around them, they saw the hand of God at work and described it as best they could. His power in stretching out the heavens. In setting the earth on its foundations. In making the watery depths retreat from the land. Setting the moon and sun in place to mark times and seasons. And for his provision that allows both humans and animals to live, thrive, and enjoy life.
Today, we have a much better understanding of how the Earth was formed and the natural laws that make life possible, abundant, and diverse. But that should not take away from the awe we have in the one who has made all that we see—and made it from nothing. The one who authored the natural laws that define how the creation functions. And the one whose power sustains the creation. A creation that points to and glorifies its creator. When I look at the creation, I cannot help but glorify the God of creation and echo this psalm’s opening and closing words. “Praise the LORD, my soul. Praise the LORD.“
Amen.Glory to God.
Yes indeed, glory to God.